Revelation of the Grove
by supernova8610
Summary: In the heart of California lies a secluded, mysterious Grove. Influential people from all over come here every summer. On the surface, it seems to be like any other gathering; but what happens when the Doctor discovers one fact that changes everything?
1. Point Reyes

**Story title:** Revelation of the Grove

**Sequel to:** Donna Noble, Supertemp

**Summary:** There is a secluded and mysterious Grove, right in the heart of California. Influential people and leaders from all over the world come here for a few weeks every summer to discuss policy, war, and everything in between (including sports and recreational activities). On the surface, it appears to be like any other gathering; but what happens when the Doctor discovers one fact that completely changes everything?

**Rating: **T

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**Chapter 1: Point Reyes**

oOo

"When will these steps end?!" Clyde complained.

"Not for a while," said Donna. "They're just as long as the Doctor is old."

"Oi!"

There was a round of laughter, for it was quite true, at least with regards to the stairs. The previous day, the Doctor and Donna had taken Luke, Clyde, and Rani on a trip in the TARDIS. They had ended up on the west coast of the United States, where neither of the three kids had been before. They were in California, at a place called Point Reyes National Seashore, in Sonoma county, where there was a lighthouse at the very end of a half-mile long stone staircase. Donna, the Doctor, and the kids were among the very few people at the lighthouse currently, due to it being evening, about sunset; usually, the lighthouse at Point Reyes was somewhat crowded. The group was currently making their way down the very staircase in question, and had only come about halfway down.

"I'll race you down, Clyde," said Luke.

"You're on!"

And off the two boys went, dashing down the stone steps as fast as their legs would carry them, despite the Doctor's shouts to slow down and be careful. In this manner, Luke and Clyde reached the lighthouse a full ten minutes before Donna, the Doctor, and Rani.

"You two!" Exclaimed the Doctor, breathless, as he and the others reached the lighthouse. "I say stop, but you do just the opposite! Blimey; are you youngsters always like that?"

"Do you even have to ask?" said Donna.

"Obviously; otherwise I wouldn't be asking," said the Doctor.

"Eh, true," said Donna.

"We can't help it if we're young and able-bodied," Clyde said.

"Are you implying that I'm not young and able-bodied?" The Doctor asked. Silence greeted him, so he continued, "I'll have you know that, while I may not be young by your standards, I am quite able-bodied."

"Prove it, old man," said Clyde.

"Oi! Don't be rude!"

Clyde laughed, and ran when the Doctor began chasing him. The chase ended when Clyde made it into the lighthouse; echoes could be heard of his footfalls up the staircase inside.

"Shall we go in?" The Doctor said.

One by one, in single file, the Doctor, Luke, Rani, and Donna climbed the staircase. Once they reached the landing at the very top of the lighthouse, they looked out of the windows at the Pacific Ocean. The sun was just beginning to set, casting everything in the golden-pink glow of evening. Waves could be heard, crashing into the cliff-face far below as seagulls flew into the air and battled each other for scraps of bread on the ground left by tourists.

"It's beautiful!" Rani declared.

"I agree," said Donna. "Come on, let's take a picture. Doctor?"

Without waiting for an answer, Donna handed Rani's camera over to the Doctor. Together, the two women posed for the camera, faces smiling. Once the picture was taken, the Doctor asked for a picture with Donna. Rani obliged, then a picture of the three kids was taken.

"Come on, Luke, let's climb on the outside of the lighthouse!"

"Um…"

"Better not," interrupted the Doctor. "I don't want to bring you two home with criminal records for souvenirs."

"But you're so good at sweet-talking your way out of things," said Donna. "You could get them out of being arrested."

The Doctor stared at her. "No."

"Old stiff."

"Oi!"

Donna and the kids laughed.

"Oh, you know I'm only kidding, space man," Donna said, placing an arm around the Doctor's shoulders.

"Hm?"

The kids laughed at the Doctor's absentmindedness.

"Although, I am old, aren't I?" the Doctor said eventually.

"Just a bit more than the rest of us," said Donna.

"Anyway," said the Doctor, changing the subject. "I was once in a lighthouse very much like this one, you know."

"Really."

"You don't believe me, Rani?" said the Doctor with a pout. "As a journalist, I thought you'd want to ask all kinds of questions, pestering me with inquiries about my previous lighthouse foray."

Donna stared at the Doctor while Rani rolled her eyes. Finally, Rani said, "Oh all right, tell me about the last time you were in a lighthouse."

"Well," the Doctor began. He leaned against a railing and crossed his arms. "It was quite a few years ago, back in my fourth life. I and my companion at the time, Leela, had arrived there. There was this monster that basically killed everyone in the lighthouse except Leela and I before I was able to kill it."

"Sounds like a heartwarming story, all right," Donna commented.

"It wasn't heartwarming, it was frightening! I only hope that the same monster doesn't come back and kill us all right here, right now."

"And why would it kill us now?" Rani asked.

"Very good, Rani, you're asking questions. Well on your way to becoming a good journalist!" The Doctor paused. "It would kill us for revenge. I guess."

"Why?"

"For being up here past closing time," said the Doctor. Everyone looked at their watches and started.

"We haven't even kept track of the time!" Donna exclaimed. "It's ten minutes past closing!"

"Indeed, Miss Noble," said the Doctor.

"Oh, come on then, Doctor," said Donna. "Let's get back to the hotel. Or I'll leave you here to battle imaginary monsters."

"Oi! That monster wasn't imaginary!"

After another round of laughter, everyone began to descend the spiral staircase of the lighthouse, with the Doctor following. Down they went, and out into the now darkening evening outdoors. It took a while to climb back up the stone staircase, this due to the fact that it was easier to go down than go up, but in the end they accomplished it. Once they reached the top, the Doctor led the group to a nearby hotel to reserve rooms for the night.

"Greetings, sir," said the bell attendant. "May I take your bags?"

"We haven't brought anything," the Doctor said. "We decided to rough it and wear only the clothes on our backs." Donna gave him a look. "Oh all right, I was kidding. We're going to buy stuff here. This was a last minute trip, you might say."

"Yes, I can see that," the bell attendant replied. "Well, if you and your wife want to check in, go ahead. Your kids can relax on the sofas."

"Oh, thank you," said the Doctor. "And she's not my wife. And _they're_ not my kids."

"Of course, sir," said the bell attendant. He walked away, leaving the Doctor, Donna, and the kids to themselves.

"Blimey, first that obnoxious waiter, now the bell attendant!"

"I know, I know," said Donna soothingly. "Do you want me to reserve a couple rooms while you get yourself calmed? One for us, one for the kids?" Clyde let out a wolf whistle. "I figure one of them could sleep in the hall if they make suggestive comments. What say you, Doctor?" Clyde immediately shut up.

"Excellent idea," said the Doctor. "You and I can reserve the rooms. Children-"

"We're not children," said Clyde.

"Over nine hundred," said the Doctor pointing at himself. He then pointed at Clyde. "Sixteen."

"Yeah, whatever," Clyde muttered.

The Doctor grinned cheekily at him, then left with Donna to go to the front desk, not more than ten feet away.

It was during this walk to the front desk that the Doctor got a good look at the hotel they were in. It was a rather rustic setting, as if it had been built as a log cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains, then plucked from its foundation and brought to its current location. There was a fire burning in a nearby fireplace, which was odd considering it was already somewhat warm outside, and there were three sofas place around the fireplace in a kind of half-circle. It was these sofas that Rani, Clyde, and Luke were currently relaxing. There were also windows with laced curtains and below them shelves with books and games for the hotel guests to amuse themselves with. All in all, it was very cozy and comfortable.

"Would you and your wife like to reserve a room for the night?" said the girl behind the counter.

"I'm not his wife," said Donna.

"But yes, we would like to reserve a room," said the Doctor. "Two rooms, actually. One for us and one for our friends on the sofas."

"Of course, sir," said the girl. She clicked a few keys on the computer keyboard. "I have two rooms with a connecting door available. Would that be all right?"

"Splendid," said the Doctor. "Hook us up."

The girl smiled and clicked on a few more keys. "Just the one night?"

"Two nights."

"Ok. That will be $300."

The Doctor handed over the money (which he procured earlier in the day from an ATM with his psychic paper) and thanked the girl once she gave them the keys. Once all was finished, Donna and the Doctor went back over to Luke, Rani, and Clyde, who had got out a pack of cards and were playing Solitaire.

"Get up, maggots! Time to sleep!"

"Doctor, they're not maggots!"

"I know, but… oh, never mind," the Doctor trailed off. "Come on, you guys, time's a-waisting and sleep's a-calling!"

The rooms were found to be just as cozy as the hotel lobby had been, and the beds even moreso. Soon, the entire group was fast asleep, looking forward to the day ahead.

o

When everyone awoke the next morning, they all gathered together in one room to decide what to do. Since it was time for breakfast, they elected to go downstairs and ask the receptionist.

"Hi, us again," said the Doctor. For the receptionist was the same girl from the night before.

"How can I help you?"

"Where's a good place where my friends and I can get breakfast?"

The girl told them about a rather pleasant sounding place, just a mile or so from the hotel. Thanking her, the Doctor, Donna, Luke, Clyde, and Rani exited the lobby. Since it was morning, the sun itself was shining bright, bathing everything its rays touched in a warm glow. Birds twittered from branch to branch and bathed in a nearby fountain.

"I love it here," said Rani, gazing around at everything with a smile.

"Mm, so do I," said Donna.

"Do we really have to walk a whole mile to the café?" Luke complained. "Can't we just use your TARDIS?"

The Doctor had parked the TARDIS a few dozen yards from the hotel the day before. From there, they had all walked to the lighthouse.

"No," said the Doctor. "Besides, walking gives us good exercise. You do want to exercise, don't you?"

Luke thought a moment. "No," he replied. "I'd much rather have you carry me."

"Carry you?" said the Doctor. "If you say so." He made a show of attempting to pick Luke up, but Luke ran away before he could.

"Can you carry _me_, Doctor?" Donna asked innocently.

"Um, no."

"What about me?" said Clyde.

"I am NOT going to carry anyone."

"Party pooper," Donna muttered with a grin.

"Say that again, and I won't give you any jelly babies," said the Doctor. He produced a small bag from his jacket pocket. "Jelly Baby? Anyone?"

Clyde was on the point of reaching out for one when Donna said, "No, Doctor. It's too early. Wait until after they've had breakfast, hm?"

"If you say so," the Doctor replied.

Donna, the Doctor, and the kids all chatted in much the same fashion all the way to the café. Occasionally the Doctor would pop a jelly baby into his mouth, just because he could, with the result that, by the time they reached the café, he was nearly full.


	2. No Place for Kids

Thanks for the reviews, Keyboard-Ninja, xAngelus's Darlax, DonnaLuvr, dreamcatcher386, and HRInuyashaFan16!!!!!!

**Chapter 2: No Place for Kids**

oOo

"_Say that again, and I won't give you any jelly babies," said the Doctor. He produced a small bag from his jacket pocket. "Jelly Baby? Anyone?"_

_Clyde was on the point of reaching out for one when Donna said, "No, Doctor. It's too early. Wait until after they've had breakfast, hm?"_

"_If you say so," the Doctor replied. _

_Donna, the Doctor, and the kids all chatted in much the same fashion all the way to the café. Occasionally the Doctor would pop a jelly baby into his mouth, just because he could, with the result that, by the time they reached the café, he was nearly full._

oOo

The café was rather quaint looking. It looked like a home one might find way out in the country, the type that was full of frills and laces and things of that sort; indeed, when they entered, the Doctor nearly gagged at the fussiness of it all.

"I thought it was supposed to be pleasant!" said the Doctor. "This is just sickly." As in sickly-sweet.

"Looks rather like my grandmum's house when I was a kid," said Donna.

Nothing much more was said, and it was about two minutes before they were greeted by a hostess. The girl gathered up five menus, all lined and decorated with yet more lace, and led the group to a table with a frilly tablecloth and chairs to match. They had been seated right next to a large window, which they took pleasure in looking out so that they wouldn't have to look at the interior of the café. With the occasional look at their menus, they eventually decided what to order. Their food arrived rather quickly, which surprised the Doctor somewhat, but that did not matter.

The Doctor was even more surprised when he took a bite of his breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a blueberry muffin. He had expected the food to be just as fussy as the decorations, but he was wrong. Donna, Rani, Luke, and Clyde had much the same reactions with their meals.

While the group was eating, they discussed what they were going to do for the day; during lulls in the conversation, they were able to hear snippets from other tables, and it was one snippet in particular that caught their attention.

"I'm not sure," a man in a suit was saying.

Another man replied, "If we leave now we should get to the Grove within the hour."

It was just past ten o'clock in the morning, according to Clyde's watch. The Doctor turned around, after consulting Clyde about the time, and saw two men sitting at a small table rather close by. They were both wearing expensive looking suits and were sipping cups of coffee. One had grey hair and glasses and the other, brown hair. Just as quickly, the Doctor turned away, but continued to watch the two men from their reflection in the window.

"I don't want to get there early, though," said the brown haired man.

"Neither do I," said the man in glasses. "But it's better early than late. You know how the boss gets."

The brown haired man nodded. "Last time that happened, he threatened to do to us like he did with the others." What is was the boss did, the man didn't say, but judging by his expression, it wasn't anything too pleasant.

"In that case, we'd better leave," said the man in glasses. The other man nodded.

The men asked a nearby waitress for the check and once they had paid for their meal, got up and left. The Doctor's eyes followed them all the way out of the café, and once they had exited, turned to Donna and the rest of the group.

"_Do to us like he did to the others_?" The Doctor quoted. "I wonder what that means."

"No idea," said Donna. "But if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then I guess it will eventually be found out?"

The Doctor grinned. "Donna Noble, you are a genius!"

Smiling, Donna replied, "That means a lot, coming from you, space man."

"Well, you're a Time Lady now. It's a given you'd be a genius like me."

"That didn't sound stuck-up at all," Donna commented.

"Oi!"

Luke, Rani, and Clyde laughed.

"We can investigate after we're finished eating, however," said the Doctor. "Right now, I want to finish my breakfast. Delicious stuff."

"I thought you were full from eating jelly babies?" Luke asked

The Doctor, mouth full of food, shrugged in response.

The Doctor, Donna, Luke, Rani, and Clyde finished their breakfasts then, once they had paid for their meal (rather, the Doctor paid via psychic paper), they got up and left the café. Once they stepped outside, it was decided to split up into two groups and investigate separately; that way, more ground could be covered. The two groups would meet back up at the hotel later that day, around dinnertime, to tell each other what was found, if anything. So, Donna and Rani decided to split into one group, and the Doctor, Luke, and Clyde would be in the second group. Then, after some discussion of where to start, as well as a few safety tips so the kids would not get into trouble, the groups separated.

The Doctor, Luke, and Clyde watched as Donna and Rani walked off in one direction.

"Will they be safe?" Luke asked.

"Of course they'll be safe," the Doctor replied. "Donna is a very capable woman."

"I mean, what if they get into any kind of trouble?" Luke asked. "Not that they will, but what if? They don't have passports with them saying who they are."

"You worry too much, Luke," said Clyde.

"Clyde is right, Luke," said the Doctor. "Let go of your worries for now. Focus on the fun and adventure of it all!" He was nearly bouncing up and down with enthusiasm. "Ready for some fun, you two?"

Clyde looked at the Doctor with some worry. "Are you ok?"

"Ok? I'm feeling great," said the Doctor. "Always did love a good mystery."

"I can see why Mum likes you so much," said Luke.

The Doctor grinned in reply.

The three of them set out, but during the course of the day, none of them learned anything of significance. The Doctor only hoped that Donna and Rani learned something on their mission, anything, any tidbit of information, that would be of use. As it turns out, Donna and Rani did learn something, although it wasn't until they were almost ready to give up. Their search, so far, had been as fruitless as the other group's, bust just as they were getting ready to head back to the hotel, their fortunes changed.

Donna and Rani had agreed to pretend as though Rani was Donna's adopted daughter, and that the two were planning on moving to the area and, as such, were curious to learn about their potential future home. Under this guise, they went around town asking people for information. They learned quite a lot, but nothing to their advantage regarding the Grove. Unfortunately, just as they were ready to go back to the hotel, they realized they were lost.

"There's a police officer over there," said Rani, pointing.

"It's rude to point," said Donna. She was beginning to enjoy the role of a mother, even if it was just pretend. Ignoring Rani's eye-roll, Donna continued, "He'll probably know how to get to the hotel."

So Donna and Rani approached him and asked for directions, which the cop was only to happy to give. Then, seized by a moment of inspiration, Donna asked the officer about the Grove, although she phrased her question in such a way as to make it sound like she had merely heard rumors about it and wanted to find out if they were true or not. So, Donna asked.

"My adopted daughter and I really want to learn more about your town," Donna said. The officer gave her a look, which plainly said he wondered why Donna told him Rani was adopted, since it was rather obvious already; but, he remained silent. "We're thinking of moving here."

"In that case, welcome!" said the officer with a grin. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, we've already researched homes and jobs and such, but we're very curious about what activities locals like to pursue," said Donna. "Back in England, my daughter and I belong to several social clubs. We like to keep up with the local scene, you understand. We're sociable people and like being able to belong to a group. Helps keep us up with what's going on, both on the inside and outside."

"Are you talking about country clubs?" the officer said. Donna nodded, so the officer continued. "I know of a few. There's a very nice one in Napa, the Silverado Country Club."

"We want something closer to the Point Reyes area," Donna replied.

Before the officer could reply, Rani interrupted. "We heard something about a country club here in Sonoma County," she said. "The Grove, I think it's called."

"The Bohemian Grove?"

Donna and Rani nodded.

The officer chuckled. "That's no country club," he said.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"I mean that it's not a country club," said the officer. "I don't know a whole lot about it, but it's a club only for influential people and political leaders, and potential leaders. And it's gender exclusive. Only males are allowed to join."

"Sexist chauvinists," Rani muttered.

The officer laughed. "Sure seems that way," he said. "And it's near impossible for anyone else to go there because of all the security. A couple guys actually succeeded in infiltrating it a few years ago, but they're the only ones to do it and not get caught."

"Where is it?" Donna asked.

The officer gestured with his hand in the general direction of the Grove. "Some distance that way, in Monte Rio. But like I said, it's impossible to get inside unless you're a member."

Donna smirked. Clearly, the officer had no idea of the Doctor's TARDIS. And of the perception filters.

"Interesting," said Donna.

"I agree, it is," said the officer. "But if that's all, I need to get back to work. I'm on patrol duty right now."

"Oh, of course," said Donna. "Patrol away. And thank you for helping us!"

"It was my pleasure," said the officer. He tipped his hat. "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"We will," said Rani.

Thanking the officer once more, they said good-bye and headed back to the hotel. Once the arrived back in the room, they waited for the Doctor, Luke, and Clyde to get back to tell them what they had found out. It wasn't long before the males of the group returned, but in the meantime, Donna and Rani relaxed and watched television. During the commercial of a rather boring show, the Doctor, Luke, and Clyde returned.

"Oh, we didn't think you'd be back yet," said the Doctor. "But no matter." He turned off the television with his sonic screwdriver (and probably damaged the electrical cords in the process) and sat down on the bed next to Donna. Luke and Clyde sat down next to Rani on the other bed.

"Did you learn anything?" Donna asked.

"Sadly, no," said the Doctor.

"We saw a cat chasing a squirrel," Clyde said, "but that's the most interesting thing we saw all day."

"How about you two?" the Doctor asked, looking at Rani, then at Donna. "I hope you had better luck than the three of us."

Donna and Rani smirked.

"Judging by their smirks, I'm guessing they did," said Clyde.

"What did you find out?" Luke asked.

"Come on, out with it!"

"Be patient, Doctor," said Donna. "Honestly, you remind me of Mum sometimes." The Doctor chose to ignore that last comment.

"It all started when we met a cop to ask for directions," said Rani. "Donna pretended like we were moving to the area and wanted to know more about it." Rani then proceeded to tell the Doctor, Luke, and Clyde what she and Donna had learned about the Grove.

"Very interesting," the Doctor mused. There was silence for a moment. "And you say it's nearly impossible to get inside?"

Donna and Rani nodded. "That's what he said," Donna replied.

The Doctor grinned at her. "Luckily, we have the TARDIS." He clapped his hands together. "Now, since it's dinner time, let's all go out and get something to eat. We can decide what to do about our new-found information later tonight. Or tomorrow morning. Whichever works for you."

"Or we can discuss it tonight and make the final decision tomorrow morning," Donna said.

"That too," said the Doctor.

With that said, the Doctor, Donna, Luke, Rani, and Clyde all went down to dinner at the hotel restaurant. The restaurant was only open for lunch and dinner, which was the reason why they had not eaten there that morning. After the meal, which had been rather delicious (consisting of Italian food), everyone went back to the rooms to discuss the information they (rather, Donna and Rani) had learned.

A decision had to be made as to what course of action they should take next, and many theories were put forward, each of which the Doctor rejected. Finally, once the kids started yawning, the Doctor announced that he and Donna would discuss things with each other, then tell Luke, Rani, and Clyde of the final decision the next morning.

After the kids had fallen asleep, Donna decided to take a shower. She was all sweaty and grimy from walking around all day, and needed to feel at least somewhat clean. So she went into the bathroom and turned on the water for the shower.

_Knock knock._

"What is it?" Donna called out, stepping into the shower. She didn't have to keep quiet, for the kids had all decided to sleep in a room by themselves, leaving Donna and the Doctor alone.

"Donna?" came the Doctor's voice.

"What?"

"Donna," came the Doctor's voice, louder this time.

"I can't hear you," Donna replied. She heard the door handle rattle, and then a squeak as the door opened and the Doctor stepped into the bathroom. Donna made sure the solid blue shower curtain hid her completely as he did so.

"Donna?" the Doctor repeated.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to let you know… I'm going to be out on the balcony," said the Doctor, voice clear and crisp, next to the curtain. "So once you're done, could you meet me out there so we can talk about what to do?"

"Okay," said Donna. "Unless you want to talk about it here in the shower."

"Huh? But I'm not dirty." The Doctor thought a moment. Then, with realization, "Ah! Um…no, that's all right."

Donna's head popped around the curtain and she gazed at the Doctor with an amused expression. The Doctor steadily avoided looking at her.

"It's all right, space man, only my head is showing."

"Oh." The Doctor gazed at Donna's face, slightly blushingly due to the fact that Donna wasn't wearing a thing behind the shower curtain. "You want to discuss the Grove situation in here?"

"I was kidding about that, Doctor," said Donna, grinning. She disappeared behind the curtain. As she began shampooing her hair, she told him, "I'll meet you on the balcony."

"Okay," said the Doctor. He left the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Smirking to herself, Donna finished her shower and stepped out. Once she was finished drying her hair, she got dressed into a pair of pyjamas and, before stepping outside, put on a bathrobe. She then went out onto the balcony and stood next to the Doctor. They each stood silently for a moment, gazing out at the night sky, sprinkled with stars.

"So what do you think we should do?" The Doctor asked at last, breaking the silence.

"Oh, I dunno," Donna replied. "I figured Luke, Rani, and Clyde could come with us to the Grove. I mean, even though its only male adults allowed on the premises, they could use perception filters to hide themselves."

"That's one option," said the Doctor. He sighed and placed both his arms on the railing, leaning against it, in a way.

"Is there something wrong with that idea?"

"Not at all; it's a brilliant idea."

"But what?"

"How do you know there's a but?"

"Doctor, with you, there's always a "but"," said Donna.

"Well yeah, there is," said the Doctor. "It's just…you ever get those feelings where you just _know_ something, yet you can't explain it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I have one of those feelings right now," said the Doctor.

"Really?" Donna asked, curious.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. I just have this overwhelming feeling that we need to get Luke, Rani, and Clyde away from here as quickly as possible. Something dangerous is afoot."

"Like what?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. The something dangerous could be something or someone, and I certainly don't want to risk Luke, Rani, or Clyde being hurt. So, either way, we need to get them away from here. And it's not just an ordinary danger, because they've faced those before."

"You mean its something much more than that?" The Doctor nodded. There was silence between them for a moment. Then, Donna said, "They're not going to want to go home."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, they're not. But they'll have to, because I'll never forgive myself if something happens to them."

Donna nodded. "Well, I guess we'll have to break the news to them in the morning."

"Yes, we will. And then we'll take them straight back to Sarah Jane's. I don't want them arguing with me about it, either, because this is not something I'm going to budge on."

The Doctor fell silent again. For the next hour or so, Donna and the Doctor made various small talk, and then, upon yawning, Donna decided that she needed some sleep. So, she left the Doctor on the balcony and climbed into bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

o

The next morning, Donna and the Doctor told Luke, Rani, and Clyde what they had decided. Just had Donna had predicted the night before, neither of the kids was happy with the decision; but the Doctor, true to his word, did not give into the arguing that took place. He checked out of the rooms and then he and Donna, leading three very unhappy teenagers, walked back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor materialized the TARDIS inside Sarah Jane's attic. He commented that Sarah Jane was going to have to designate a parking space there, just for the TARDIS, since he came so often, but no one laughed except for Donna. Falling silent, the Doctor opened the doors and, upon finding Sarah Jane there, explained the situation to her. Sarah Jane nodded in understanding and, after telling the kids that whenever the Doctor said no to solving a mystery, it indeed meant something very serious, said good-bye and watched with Luke, Rani, and Clyde as the TARDIS dematerialized, leaving silence in its wake.


	3. Torchwood's Assistance

Thanks for the reviews, DonnaLuvr, xAngelus's Darlax, and dreamcatcher386!!!!!!

**Chapter 3: Torchwood's Assistance**

oOo

_The Doctor materialized the TARDIS inside Sarah Jane's attic. He commented that Sarah Jane was going to have to designate a parking space there, just for the TARDIS, since he came so often, but no one laughed except for Donna. Falling silent, the Doctor opened the doors and, upon finding Sarah Jane there, explained the situation to her. Sarah Jane nodded in understanding and, after telling the kids that whenever the Doctor said no to solving a mystery, it indeed meant something very serious, said good-bye and watched with Luke, Rani, and Clyde as the TARDIS dematerialized, leaving silence in its wake._

oOo

After the TARDIS had dematerialized from the attic, the Doctor and Donna took it into the time vortex while the discussed what to do next. After all, now that they had dropped off the kids, they could go back to Sonoma County and infiltrate the Grove and face whatever dangers came their way. But as soon as the Doctor suggested this, he backed down, as though another idea had popped into his Time Lord mind.

"Why don't we bring Jamie along?" the Doctor said to no one in particular.

"I thought he didn't have time, being that he teaches at Oxford?"

"Well, yeah," said the Doctor. "But I don't think he'd mind a little trip in the old TARDIS. Besides, he's traveled with me before in the past, so he's used to facing the dangers that go with it. And the fact that he was with us on the space ship recently. Plus, it'll be fun."

"Mm, yeah," said Donna. There was a pause, then Donna spoke impatiently, "Well, what are we waiting for, time boy? Let's move!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the Doctor replied. He twiddled some dials on the console and so doing, took the TARDIS once more to the grounds of Oxford. When they landed, Donna opened the TARDIS doors and saw that they had landed in the same grove of trees they had parked the TARDIS in so many times before. She wondered aloud if the TARDIS was magnetically attracted to this particular part of the campus, to which the Doctor replied, "No, not really. This old ship of mine could park anywhere and be unnoticeable. I just like it here because it's even less noticeable than other places."

"So where is Jamie's office?" Donna asked as the two made their way out of the grove of trees and toward the administration building. "Because when we taught here, we used the TARDIS."

"He's in the administration building," said the Doctor. "Isn't that what administration buildings are for?"

"Not really. They usually house Records and stuff like that for the students," said Donna. "A few years ago I worked as a temp for the administration at Cambridge."

"Oh really?" the Doctor asked curiously. "Anyway, our Jamie's office is indeed in the administration building. I checked with Jamie before we dropped him off."

"You're sneaky. I didn't even notice."

The Doctor grinned at her.

Donna and the Doctor stepped into the now-familiar administration building and passed by the receptionist counter, where they were none too pleased to see Marianne, chatting away on her mobile and twisting a strand of blonde hair around her fingers. As soon as Marianne spotted Donna and the Doctor, her eyes grew wide, but not with any feelings of gladness. The Doctor raised his hand in a gesture of greeting, but instead of returning the greeting, Marianne stared at him and then darted out of sight into a backroom, with mobile in hand, accidentally dropping what looked like a piece of paper as she did so. Curious, Donna went over to where the piece of paper lay, face down on the floor, and picked it up. Turning it over, Donna's eyes bulged and a sound of disbelief escaped her.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, intrigued.

Donna said nothing, but handed the photograph over to the Doctor, who took it, glancing at Donna curiously. As soon as his eyes landed on the picture, his jaw dropped in shock and amazement. In his hands he held a picture of a naked man, very buff, and with large muscles, lying down on a fur rug and sipping a martini. A feathered boa ran lengthwise across his body and covered up the most important parts. The man's face, which had clearly been cut out, had been replaced with a face of equal proportions to the one before, only, it was the Doctor's own face which now was attached to the body. Underneath were the words _John Smith & Marianne Barrows_ encircled by an intricately drawn heart_._ The Doctor stared at it.

"Does this woman have issues, or is it just me?" he asked rhetorically.

"It's not just you, mate, trust me," Donna replied.

The Doctor stared at the picture for another moment, then got out a pen.

"Normally, I'd let matters such as this rest, but given that Marianne has had issues with me before, something has to be done about this," said the Doctor.

"Like what?" Donna asked. "What are you going to do? Draw the missing parts of the anatomy with a message saying "suck on this, because that's all you'll ever get"?"

"Now, Donna, that would be mean," said the Doctor. He began writing a message on the back of the photograph. "All I'm doing is writing a message to our dear friend Marianne saying that she needs to be evaluated for her own safety. And if I ever find out she's done something like this regarding me ever again, I'm going to call the police on her and charge her for stalking."

"And you say drawing on it and leaving a message would be mean?"

"Yes, I do," said the Doctor. "Because that wouldn't be constructive, would it? What I'm doing is." And with that, the Doctor placed the photograph back on the receptionist desk, capped the pen, and placed it back inside his pocket. "Well, shall we go see Jamie?"

Jamie's office was on the very top floor of the building, so Donna and the Doctor climbed up the sets of stairs leading to it. Once they reached the landing, they walked down the hall; the Doctor stopped mid-way.

"Here we are!" he declared. And indeed, they were there, in front of a wooden door that had a placard reading _Dr. James McCrimmon._ The Doctor gave the door three smart knocks.

"Come in!" called out a commanding, and familiar voice. The Doctor obliged, and he and Donna entered Jamie's office.

"Doctor! Donna!" Jamie exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you two this soon!"

"Neither did we, Jamie, but we didn't come here just for chitchat," said the Doctor.

"Oh?"

"Yep," said the Doctor.

"Would I be correct in guessing that you want me to go on a mission with you?"

"You are," the Doctor confirmed. "Although I'd call it more of an adventure. And we had to drop off Luke, Rani, and Clyde who were with us because it might be too dangerous for them. And they've dealt with sinister adventures, so the fact I'd drop a kid off to avoid any harm is saying something."

"Yeah, that's true," said Jamie.

"It's not that it will be dangerous, but sometimes I get these feelings about something that need to be listened to. And I have a feeling that something about this adventure is, or will be, very dangerous."

"Again, true."

"So," said Donna. "Do you want to come with us? Throw away your cares for a while and have some fun. Yeah, you can always go back to teaching, but in the meantime, why not take a break? Other than the break you had previously."

"That was good, Donna," the Doctor said.

"Thanks."

Jamie replied, uncertainly, "I don't know…"

"Remember that it can also travel in time. So we can bring you back to five minutes after you left," said Donna.

"Come on, Jamie, live a little! No use sitting in an office all day if you don't go off every once and a while on an adventure!" The Doctor grinned.

Jamie sighed and threw a stack of papers he had been holding onto his desk. "Oh, all right," he said at last. "Might as well."

"Good man!" said the Doctor.

"What are we waiting for?" Donna asked. "Let's blow this joint! To borrow from the American slang," she added.

So Donna, the Doctor, and now Jamie, exited the building and headed toward the TARDIS. Marianne was nowhere to be found as they passed the receptionist counter, but there was indication she had been there, because the photograph was gone. Once they got inside the TARDIS, the Doctor took it straight to Torchwood with the explanation that they might be able to tell them more about it.

The TARDIS materialized in the hub just as Jack and Martha had sat down on the sofa after a day's hard work of chasing and fighting off aliens intent on harming innocent citizens. Gwen, Mickey, and Ianto had already gone home, so Jack and Martha were alone. They were sipping mugs of steaming coffee that Ianto had made before heading off and had their feet stretched out; both team members were an image of relaxation as they discussed the day's events. It was in this manner that the Doctor found them as he, Donna, and Jamie exited the TARDIS, only Jack and Martha were now staring at the new-comers instead of discussing the day, wondering what could have brought them to Torchwood.

"Doctor!" said Jack. "Good of you to grace us with your presence! How've you been?"

"Not bad," said the Doctor. "We've just been out and about." He gestured in Donna's and Jamie's direction.

"Oh? What for?"

"No time for that now, Jack," said the Doctor. "I need you to do a favor for me. And not the kind of favors you do for Ianto, so get those thoughts out of your head."

"Ok," said Jack, wondering how the Doctor knew what he was thinking. "What is it you need?"

Quickly, the Doctor told Jack how he learned of the Grove, and the rumor he had heard regarding it. He told Jack where it was located, in Sonoma County; more specifically, Monte Rio. Then, after he was done explaining, the Doctor said to Jack, "I need you to do a scan of that area, and anything else you can think of, to see if there's any more information about it."

"When do you need this done?"

"Right now would be a great time," said the Doctor.

"Right on it," said Jack.

The Doctor nodded and Jack immediately set to work.

"Ok, I'm not getting a whole lot," said Jack after a few minutes. He stood there, staring at one of the many computer screens in the Hub; Martha was looking over his shoulder, and both of them were frowning.

"What _are_ you getting?" the Doctor asked, placing special emphasis on 'are'.

"I don't have anything specific," said Jack, pressing a few keys on the keyboard, "but from what I can see, there seems to be some kind of presence, like a dark shadow."

"I wonder what that means," Jamie said to Donna.

"I'm not sure, but I can tell you right now, it's nothing good," Donna replied.

"And you'd be right," said Jack.

"Is the shadow presence active at all?" the Doctor asked.

Jack shook his head. "As far as I can tell, no. It seems to be dormant, for the time being; waiting to strike at the right moment."

"Wonderful," Donna muttered sarcastically.

"Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment, Doc," said Jack. "But if there is, I'll call you on that mobile phone Martha, here, gave you."

"Great, thanks, Jack!" said the Doctor. Shaking Jack's hand, he added, "Goodbye for now. And no fixing up that Vortex Manipualtor. I know you've been doing something to it."

"But I need it!"

"Jack," said the Doctor firmly, looking him in the eye.

Sighing, Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh all right."

"Good," said the Doctor. "See you later! Come on, Donna, Jamie."

With a last wave of the hand, the Doctor, Donna, and Jamie crossed the threshold into the TARDIS. After closing the doors behind them, the Doctor took the TARDIS back into the vortex, where he, Donna, and Jamie decided what to do next.


	4. Infiltration

**Chapter 4: Infiltration**

oOo

"_Is the shadow presence active at all?" the Doctor asked._

_Jack shook his head. "As far as I can tell, no. It seems to be dormant, for the time being; waiting to strike at the right moment."_

"_Wonderful," Donna muttered sarcastically._

"_Is there anything else?"_

"_Not at the moment, Doc," said Jack. "But if there is, I'll call you on that mobile phone Martha, here, gave you."_

"_Great, thanks, Jack!" said the Doctor. Shaking Jack's hand, he added, "Goodbye for now. And no fixing up that Vortex Manipulator. I know you've been doing something to it."_

"_But I need it!"_

"_Jack," said the Doctor firmly, looking him in the eye._

_Sighing, Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh all right."_

"_Good," said the Doctor. "See you later! Come on, Donna, Jamie."_

_With a last wave of the hand, the Doctor, Donna, and Jamie crossed the threshold into the TARDIS. After closing the doors behind them, the Doctor took the TARDIS back into the vortex, where he, Donna, and Jamie decided what to do next._

oOo

"So should we bust into this place, guns blazing?" Jamie suggested.

"Now you're beginning to sound like Jack."

"Sorry, Doctor," said Jamie.

"Shooting the place up wouldn't help us discover whatever is going on in this place, anyway," the Doctor said. "It would only make the dark presence run away and set up shop at another location."

"Yeah, true," said Donna. "So what are we going to do? We could use perception filters and waltz in like we own the place."

But the Doctor shook his head. "I figured you could, Donna, since women aren't allowed in, but as for Jamie and I... Well, I figured we could just go in along with all the other blokes, as if we're just one of the crowd. Well, two of the crowd."

"But they'll probably know right away that we don't belong with them," said Jamie. "It might've worked for those two blokes a few years ago, but I don't think we should take that chance."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" the Doctor asked.

Jamie grinned.

oOo

"Last time I wore this, disaster struck," the Doctor complained. He and Jamie were in the console room, each wearing the uniform of a restaurant waiter. It had been decided that the Doctor and Jamie would pass themselves off as waiters at the Grove, while Donna would take the TARDIS into the Grove at a secure location and wait there for nightfall, when Jamie and the Doctor would come and give Donna whatever news they had. Donna would also have a perception filter, on the off chance she had to go outside; that way, she could move around without anyone being the wiser. At the moment, however, Donna was busy inspecting Jamie and the Doctor, so as to make sure everything was put together just right.

"No cybermen will show up," Donna said consolingly.

"How do you know?" the Doctor asked. "They could be waiting just behind a tree, hiding until the right moment to jump out and "delete" me."

Donna rolled her eyes. "If they do, tell them I'll come and kick there shining arses."

Jamie laughed. "I don't deny you're fierce enough for that," he said.

Donna grinned at him. After a few finishing touches, she stood back to admire her handiwork. "If only Marianne could see you now."

The Doctor sighed exasperatedly. "Don't even bring that up."

"All right, space man, all right." But Donna was laughing.

"Well, Jamie, you ready?" the Doctor asked his long-time traveling companion.

"As ready as I'll ever be," came Jamie's reply.

"Then, Donna, do us the honors."

"Way ahead of you, Doctor."

Donna twiddled some dials and flipped a few switches on the console; the TARDIS was soon on its way to the Grove in Sonoma County, California. She landed just outside of the Grove, in one of the main parking lots where the Grove's attendants kept their cars. The lot was almost full, but Donna did find a space to park the TARDIS. She let Jamie and the Doctor out and after making sure they were ok, piloted the TARDIS to a secluded section of the Grove to wait until nightfall.

oOo

The TARDIS had just dematerialized and so Jamie and the Doctor were left in the parking lot, all on their own. They gazed around at their surroundings then, hearing a rather large vehicle making its way toward the parking lot, went towards it in hopes that it would take them to where they needed to be. The vehicle in question looked rather like a large pickup truck, and in the truck bed were many bales of hay for people to sit on, rather like farmers who went to the fields to tend the crops. No one was in it, except for the driver, and as soon as Jamie and the Doctor saw him, hailed him and waited for him to approach them.

"Well, here goes nothing," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

The truck approached them and the driver, leaning out the window, asked, "Shouldn't you two be at the encampment already?"

"Yes, but we got…delayed," said the Doctor. "Something came up that prevented us from getting up there on time."

"Well, hop in the back," said the driver. "I was down here looking for any last minute guests, but they all seem to have gone up to the encampment already. So I don't see any harm in bringing you up there, since I'm already down here."

"Good man," said the Doctor. He and Jamie climbed into the back of the truck and each sat down on a bale of hay. As the driver started the truck and drove up to the encampment where everyone else was, he struck up conversation with his two passengers.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the driver asked rhetorically.

"No, we're from the United Kingdom and-"

"England and Scotland," the Doctor finished, giving Jamie a look. For Jamie had almost revealed that the Doctor was from Gallifrey.

"Right on," said the driver. "I didn't know that they hired foreigners, begging your pardon, but that goes to show that you learn something new everyday."

"We're here on a work-exchange program," said Jamie.

"Fascinating," said the driver. "So where are you staying when you're not working?"

"We have a place nearby," said the Doctor. "A friend of ours lives in Monte Rio, and she's allowing us to stay with her for the summer." It _was_ true, after all. He, Donna, and Jamie _were_ in Monte Rio, and they would be staying in the TARDIS.

"Do you have a picture of her?"

"Um… let me see," said the Doctor. He dug into his pockets and felt around; his fingers came into contact with his sonic screwdriver, a mousetrap, a yoyo, and an old bag of jelly babies before latching onto a photograph. It had been taken of him and Donna when they were on a far distant planet, before she had become a Time Lady. The Doctor pulled it from his pocket and showed it to the driver, who looked at it for as long as he could before having to pay attention back to the road or risk driving off it accidentally.

"Wow," said the driver. "She's a babe!"

"I…what?" the Doctor sputtered.

"She's hot! A very fine looking woman, if I may say so," said the driver. "I'd love to meet her."

"Why do you want to meet her?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, I dunno," said the driver. "I figured I could take her out to a movie and dinner, then afterwards back to my place."

"Why back to your place?" Inside, Jamie was grinning. He had a feeling what the driver was going to say in response, and he very much wanted to see the Doctor's reaction; meanwhile, the Doctor remained clueless.

"I like to see how my dates are in bed before I take them out again," said the driver. "I like to bang them up, so to speak, then if they want more, I give it to them. But it depends on how well they satisfy me whether or not I take them out again, or just bang them in bed."

Jamie was not disappointed. The Doctor's face, which had been a picture of calm relaxation, morphed into an expression of shock, then just as lighting-quick, into an expression mixed between shock an incredulity that someone could ever say something like that. The Doctor's jaw had dropped open, his eyes wide, as he struggled for something to say.

Feeling somewhat sorry for the Doctor, Jamie spoke up. "This woman is his girlfriend."

"Oh, really?" said the driver, not the least be concerned with what he had just said. "Well, she's definitely bangable, that's for sure. How is she in bed?"

"Er…I'll let you know, shall I?" the Doctor said, rather uncomfortably.

The driver, still taking no notice of anyone's discomfort, prattled on about the issues of sleeping with one's date all the way to their destination, throughout the whole drive, of which Jamie and the Doctor were quite glad to be finished with. They gladly bade goodbye to the driver then, turning away, went towards the restaurant where they were to be working at during the day; for the Doctor, before exiting the TARDIS, had looked up the eateries there were in the camp and found out where they all were, so he and Jamie would be able to go from one to the other as they needed to glean information. There were not that many, but at the moment, that did not matter.

"Interesting chap," Jamie commented once he and the Doctor were far enough away from the truck.

"Let's not tell Donna what he said, shall we?" the Doctor replied.

"For her own safety?"

"No, for his," said the Doctor. "I have no doubt that she would see to it that he would never be able to "bang" anyone ever again."

"I almost feel bad for him," said Jamie. "Almost."

The Doctor laughed. For the next few minutes, as they walked toward where they would be working, the Doctor and Jamie laughed and joked about various things, including Donna's possible reactions to various situations. As they walked under the leafy canopy of countless trees, they passed by various buildings all made of wood. Some of these buildings were cabins, lounges, or places to get a good drink, and all of them had at least a few people standing around in front, chatting and catching up with each other.

As the Doctor and Jamie made their way to the café restaurant, they passed by several very well-known political and financial figures, and it was all Jamie could do to not shout out a greeting to Britain's prime minister; he was stopped by a light shove in the side via the Doctor's elbow.

"Thanks for that," Jamie said, rubbing the place that had been elbowed.

"I couldn't let you give us away," said the Doctor. "Sorry."

"Quite all right," said Jamie.

The two continued chatting, and didn't stop until they were already at the restaurant café.


	5. Nighttime Meeting

**Chapter 5: Nighttime Meeting**

oOo

_As the Doctor and Jamie made their way to the café restaurant, they passed by several very well-known political and financial figures, and it was all Jamie could do to not shout out a greeting to Britain's prime minister; he was stopped by a light shove in the side via the Doctor's elbow. _

"_Thanks for that," Jamie said, rubbing the place that had been elbowed._

"_I couldn't let you give us away," said the Doctor. "Sorry."_

"_Quite all right," said Jamie._

_The two continued chatting, and didn't stop until they were already at the restaurant café. _

oOo

"Where to first?"

"The kitchen for starters. Lucky I brought my psychic paper, just in case anyone asks us to show our ID."

"But I don't have my own psychic paper," said Jamie.

"We'll both use mine," said the Doctor simply.

Jamie and the Doctor said nothing more until they crossed over the threshold into the restaurant café. There were only five or so people in the building, so it was rather quiet as Jamie and the Doctor made their way past tables and chairs until they reached the back of the café where the kitchen was located. As they passed by one of the tables, one of the men called out to them.

"Could you get our waiter for us?"

"Or you could be our waiters," said another man. "Two would be better fun that one waiter."

"We're flattered, but no thanks," said the Doctor. He ushered Jamie forward and the two walked very quickly away from the men, who were laughing at their discomfort.

"What kind of place have we got ourselves involved with?" Jamie said in a low voice.

"A place that attracts interesting clientele?" the Doctor replied.

"I'll say," Jamie replied.

They reached the kitchen and as soon as they walked in, they were greeted by a rather large man who was wearing a somewhat different uniform than the other waiters in the kitchen. They took this man to be the manager. And indeed he looked it, for not only was he wearing a different uniform than the waiters, he was also wearing a shinier nametag which read "Ryan", and he looked generally better-kept than everyone else. As soon as Ryan saw the Doctor and Jamie, he held out a hand and asked them to stop.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked.

"We're new here," said the Doctor. "We've just been hired."

"By who?" From the way Ryan crossed his arms, it was obvious he didn't believe them. Being the manager, Ryan was usually the one who made the hiring decisions, and this was the first time he had laid eyes on either Jamie or the Doctor.

"The Boss," said Jamie, thinking quickly. The Doctor threw a side-long glance in his direction, unnoticed by Ryan, whose face had paled.

"Right away, of course," Ryan said, demeanor changing to one of wanting to please. "You have previous experience, of course, otherwise the Boss wouldn't have hired you."

"That is correct," said the Doctor. "Quick question, though. Does the Boss usually hire your waiters for you? Or does he leave that to you most of the time?"

"Most of the time its just me who hires waiters," said Ryan. He lead Jamie and the Doctor to a back room. "But sometimes the Boss does take an interest our little café." Ryan gave a short laugh. "Can I ask why?"

"Curiosity," said Jamie.

"Of course, of course," said Ryan. Once inside the back room, Ryan picked up two forms and handed them over to the Doctor and Jamie. "Before you begin work, you'll need to fill these out. Just your basic information: work hours available and such."

"We've already filled these out," said the Doctor. "No need to bother the Boss about it, however."

"I quite agree," said Ryan. He learned toward them in a conspiratorial manner. "To tell the truth," he said in a low voice, "nobody around here has ever actually seen the Boss. No one that I know of, at least. From what I hear, he tends to keep to himself, all mystery-like. Nobody really knows who he is, either, so I hope you'll forgive me for acting the way I did when I first saw you. I thought you were here to cart someone away."

"Why would we do that?" the Doctor asked.

Ryan shrugged. "It's happened before. But I'd rather not get into it."

"Perfectly understandable, mate," said the Doctor.

Ryan clapped his hands together. "Well, there's work to do! First thing, you both can go and wipe down the tables that aren't being used. We get pretty busy during dinner time, in about four hours, and I want everything in tip-top shape."

oOo

Later that night, after Jamie and the Doctor were finished cleaning up after what was a very busy dinner at the café, the two headed to where the TARDIS was located. Now, they did not know its exact location, but because the Doctor still had his sonic screwdriver handy, he used that to trace the artron energy and thus find the TARDIS. Using this method, they found the TARDIS's location rather quickly, but because it was in such a remote part of the Grove, it took a while to get to it. Once Jamie and the Doctor had arrived, however, Donna opened the TARDIS doors to let them inside.

"So what have you been doing all day?" the Doctor asked.

"All day?" Donna asked, puzzled. "It's only been two minutes since I last spoke to you."

An expression of realization came to the Doctor and Jamie. "Ah," said the Doctor.

"Came to you at last, time boy?" Donna asked.

"It didn't come to me at last," said the Doctor. "I just didn't think of the possibility that you had traveled forward in time to save yourself tedious hours waiting around in the TARDIS til nightfall."

"Anyway," said Jamie, breaking into the conversation.

"Right, right," said the Doctor. "Well, Jamie and I got settled in nicely. We're working at one of the cafés here in the Grove. Rather nice place, though the clientele is quite the opposite."

"Have you heard anything about what's going around here?" Donna asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said the Doctor.

"The manager of the café told us that, not too long ago, some bloke was taken away because 'the Boss' had ordered it," said Jamie.

"Who's the Boss?" Donna asked.

Jamie and the Doctor shrugged. "No idea," the Doctor said. "But that's what we can find out during our investigation of this humble abode."

"Why don't we do some investigating now?" said Donna. "It's dark out. No one would see us."

Jamie and the Doctor glanced at each other.

"That's not a bad idea," said the Doctor. "Although it would be wise to wear your perception filter, just in case."

"Of course I'm going to wear the perception filter," Donna said. "I'm not going to dance around naked for all the world to see."

"What?"

"Just joking, space man."

"Ah, right."

There was a moment's silence, during which Jamie leaned against one of the TARDIS's walls and Donna and the Doctor fiddled with the console. Finally, Donna said, "Shall we go exploring?"

"Yeah, let's do that before the sun comes up," said the Doctor. "You have your perception filter?"

For answer, Donna dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a chain, at the end of which was attached a shining silver key with a bit of the TARDIS stuck to it. She placed the chain around her neck and lead Jamie and the Doctor out of the ship and into the night.

Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor made their way through the forested area, though the trees, concealed by the darkness that came whenever the sun set. It was a bit of a walk before they came to anything of interest: a wood cabin. But the door was locked and even the Doctor couldn't get in with the sonic screwdriver. So they walked on, chatting about various things.

They walked all the way to the other end of the Grove itself, reaching a point very near the encampment's entrance, where there was a lake, fed at each end by a river, running lazily into one end and out the other. The lake was not large at all, only a few dozen feet across. On one side of the lake was an almost amphitheater like area, with seating to match. On the other side was a stage-area, like one might find in a theater or opera house, and at one end of the stage was a large stone statue of an owl. Closeby the owl was what looked like a stone altar.

"Well that's something," said Donna, staring at the owl.

"Is it going to come alive and hoot at us?" Jamie asked, grinning. The Doctor laughed.

"No, I don't think so," the Doctor said. "Nope. That statue is just stone, as far as I can see."

"Although knowing you, Doctor, it could come alive," said Donna. "With how many adventures I've been on with you, I've come to expect the unexpected."

For answer, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and turned it on. "This is one statue that's just a statue," he said at last. "Nothing to fear from it." He placed the screwdriver back inside his jacket pocket.

"I wonder what they use this area for, though?"

"Friendly gathers," said the Doctor. "Speeches, things like that. Jamie and I heard about it from one of our coworkers at the restaurant café."

"They also said something about a show sometime during the camp," Jamie added, "where there's a mock sacrifice of a human effigy."

"Are you serious?" Donna asked. Jamie nodded.

"Rather interesting place, to say the least," the Doctor said.

"I'll say," said Donna. "Typical of them, though."

The Doctor looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"They literally have skeletons in their figurative closet," Donna replied. "Abeit skeleton effigies."

"Do effigies even have skeletons?" Jamie asked.

Donna shrugged.

The three carried on talking and eventually made their way back to the TARDIS, where they went to their rooms (Jamie went to a guest room the TARDIS had set up especially for him) and slept for the rest of the night, waiting for what the next day would bring.


	6. An Overheard Conversation

**Chapter 6: An Overheard Conversation**

oOo

"_They literally have skeletons in their figurative closet," Donna replied. "Abeit skeleton effigies."_

"_Do effigies even have skeletons?" Jamie asked._

_Donna shrugged._

_The three carried on talking and eventually made their way back to the TARDIS, where they went to their rooms (Jamie went to a guest room the TARDIS had set up especially for him) and slept for the rest of the night, waiting for what the next day would bring._

oOo

The next day, Donna was left alone, as she had been the day before. Jamie and the Doctor were off working at the Grove's restaurant café which left Donna to her own devices. Since she hadn't done any investigating on her own the day before (since she had traveled in time to when it was night), she decided to do that today. So before exiting the TARDIS, Donna made sure to place the perception filter around her neck before stepping outside. The air was warm, so Donna took off the jacket she had put on, just in case, and tossed it inside the TARDIS before closing the door completely. Then, she took off, making her way through the trees, taking care not to make any noise.

Donna decided to head for the stone statue of the owl that she, Jamie, and the Doctor had discovered the night before. She had sensed something odd about it. Whether it be her new Time Lady senses or just plain women's intuition, something about it had seemed not quite what it appeared. As Donna walked under the canopy of so many tree branches, she took the time to enjoy what there was of her surroundings. Granted, the air was rather warm, but there was a pleasant breeze that wended its way through the trees; the rustling of branches could be heard as well as the tweets of birds up above. Donna only hoped none of the birds decided to use her head as target practice.

Donna reached the owl unscathed. There were some workers at the owl currently, so Donna stood back in the shadows for a bit to let them get on with their business. Once they were finished, however, and had hopped into their vehicles and left, Donna walked across the stage, pausing once to dip her hands into the cool, refreshing water. She reached the owl and paused for a moment, examining it, before walking round its base.

As she walked round the base, Donna noticed what looked like a door, facing the back of the stage. Weird, for from any other angle the owl looked to be made of solid stone; but nevertheless, Donna pulled open the door after unlocking it with her sonic lipstick and went inside. Not knowing what to expect, Donna was therefore unsurprised to see nothing of much value inside the owl's base. All it appeared to be was a place for storage; probably to store supplies and things of that nature for the ceremony.

Donna shrugged her shoulders and was at the point of walking back outside when she noticed what looked like a few strands of long, blonde hair.

"Weird," Donna muttered to herself. She knelt down, took out her sonic lipstick and pointed it at the hairs and clicked it on. _Strange. They're female hairs, yet females aren't even allowed into the Grove. _

Donna was startled out of her thoughts by the noise of someone approaching, so she dashed out of the room, closed the door at the owl's base as quickly as possible, then hid behind some nearby bushes to see what she could hear. For, of course, the man approaching seemed to be have a deep and important conversation on his mobile, and Donna intended to find out what it was and if it could be important the the investigation. Unfortunately, Donna was situated so that she could not see the man in question, but she was able to hear him quite clearly.

"Hey, it's me," the man's voice could be heard saying. "Any updates?"

There was a pause, during which Donna got a fraction of an inch closer.

"Of course I'm talking about her, you dimwit! I run things around here; don't ask me if I'm sure about something."

_What on earth is he talking about?_ Donna thought.

Fortunately, the man said just what he was talking about not a few seconds later. "But since you seem to be so stupid, I'll enlighten you." Here, the man's voice became such that it seemed as though he was speaking to a slow, stupid child. "You remember the girl we caught snooping around inside the owl? She was blonde. When we "pressed" her for information, she gave us a bit of valuable information?... Yes, that's right. And in three days' time, she'll be taken care of; see if precious daddy comes running for her then."

At this point, Donna decided that she had heard enough and as she turned around and headed away from the stage and the owl, the man's voice grew louder and more tense, though Donna didn't want to wait and find out what was being said. She arrived at the TARDIS soon after and until the Doctor and Jamie appeared later that night, Donna went to her room, laid down on her bed, and thought about what she had overheard.

oOo

While Donna was examining the owl statue, the Doctor and Jamie were doing their own investigation. Granted, they still had to do their jobs of waiting on tables, but while doing so, they were able to glean information from both their fellow co-workers in the safety of the kitchen and from overheard snatches, and sometimes told directly to them, from the patrons of the restaurant café.

When Jamie was taking orders from one of his tables, the conversation turned from what that day's specials were to the camp's activities that had been planned for the next few days.

"I don't know about you two," one man was saying to his two companions, "but I was thinking of taking a walk down to the river tomorrow, get a bit of fresh air, you know."

"As if we don't get enough fresh air, Neilson," laughed one of the two companions.

"I hear there's good fishing down there, Greene," Neilson defended himself.

"Try catching some of the fish for dinner," said Jamie. "I hear fresh-caught fish is most delicious."

"Yeah, true," said Greene. "But there's also some good swimming to be had. For example," and here, Greene clapped his hand onto the back of the third man at the table, "Maxwell here had quite a time at the river this time last year; at least, that's the word on the street."

"Oh really?" Jamie asked, curious. "What happened?"

Maxwell sighed. "All I did was go for a midnight swim, that's it."

"It wasn't just a midnight swim," said Neilson. "Didn't you sneak one of the girls from the front lot inside the grounds and skinny dip with her?"

Jamie's jaw dropped. "I thought females weren't allowed in the Grove?"

"They're not," Neilson replied. "But they _are_ allowed to work as valet parkers in the front parking lots. But we're getting off-track."

"Yes, and I'd like to keep it that way," Maxwell muttered, to laughter from his two friends.

"Oh all right, you old windbag, have it your way," said Greene.

When the three men were done with their conversation, they glanced at the menus that lay before them and decided what they wanted, with the occasional tip from Jamie as to what might taste the most delicious. Finally, though, Jamie did take their orders, and immediately went to the kitchen to give the order to the chef.

oOo

That night, after tables were finished being waited on and the restaurant had closed, Jamie and the Doctor made their way through the trees under the night sky and toward the TARDIS, where Donna was waiting. Once they arrived, the Doctor gave three smart knocks on the TARDIS door (for he had left his own TARDIS key with Donna, being that she would be inside already). It was a few seconds before Donna answered; the Doctor was on the point of knocking again when the door opened and Donna's face peered out.

"Finally!" the Doctor exclaimed. "What took you so long?"

"I was painting my toenails," Donna replied, and indeed, her toenails were now a pale pink color.

"Right," said the Doctor. "Are you going to stand there all night?"

"No need to be sharp, space man," Donna retorted, stepping away from the door.

"Sorry," the Doctor replied as he stepped over the threshold, followed shortly after by Jamie.

Donna closed the door behind them, and once Jamie and the Doctor had sat down on the seat in front of the console, they all exchanged news of what had gone on during the day. Jamie and the Doctor did not have much to tell, the only interesting tidbit was of Jamie's conversation with the three men earlier that day of females working at the Grove. After Jamie and the Doctor were finished telling their parts, Donna told them what she had learned during the day: about how the owl wasn't really solid, about what she had found inside, and about what had happened afterward.

""Well, I figured the owl couldn't be completely solid," said the Doctor. "Shortly after we came here, I heard something about fire or whatnot shooting out of the owl, and if it was solid, how could that happen?"

Donna nodded. "Very true."

"But one thing that intrigues me is the strands of hair you found," the Doctor continued.

"Aye," said Jamie.

"But what are we going to do about it?" Donna asked. "Especially that poor girl?"

The Doctor shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. I'm afraid to think of what might happen."

"But what do you think will happen?"

"It's every possibility, considering what we've all learned about this encampment so far, that she will be brought out to be sacrificed in place of the effigy at the ceremony in three days."

Donna and Jamie looked horror-struck. "But that's horrible!" Donna said, aghast.

"It is," said the Doctor, looking equally disgusted. "It seems that whoever this man is, he's the boss of the camp. What else did he say?"

"Something about how her daddy will come running when he sees his daughter in danger."

The Doctor shuddered; he could only imagine how he might feel if it was his own daughter, Jenny, in that situation. But Jenny was dead, he had held her in his arms as she drew her last breath. Shaking this thought from his mind, the Doctor vowed to do what he could to save the daughter of this anonymous man; while he had lost his own daughter, the Doctor couldn't bear the thought of someone else going through the same thing.


	7. Let It Begin

**Chapter 7: Let it Begin**

oOo

"_It is," said the Doctor, looking equally disgusted. "It seems that whoever this man is, he's the boss of the camp. What else did he say?"_

"_Something about how her daddy will come running when he sees his daughter in danger."_

_The Doctor shuddered; he could only imagine how he might feel if it was his own daughter, Jenny, in that situation. But Jenny was dead, he had held her in his arms as she drew her last breath. Shaking this thought from his mind, the Doctor vowed to do what he could to save the daughter of this anonymous man; while he had lost his own daughter, the Doctor couldn't bear the thought of someone else going through the same thing._

oOo

The three days passed by quickly, with not much being learned to further the investigation into the goings on at the Grove. But that did not matter much, for what really interested Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor was the upcoming ceremony. When the day of said ceremony arrived, the three were resting and relaxing in the TARDIS. Because it was the day of the ceremony, Jamie and the Doctor had been given the day off and were free to go wherever they liked within the Grove, which they did plan on doing as soon as they left the TARDIS with Donna in tow wearing her perception filter.

At the moment, the three of them were in Donna's room, with Donna sitting on her bed and the Doctor and Jamie reclining in a couple of wicker chairs; they were all facing each other in a kind of triangular circle.

"I feel like I'm back in university," Donna commented.

"What makes you say that?" the Doctor asked.

"Because my friends and I would always hang out in my dorm room like this, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company," Donna replied.

"And drinking, perhaps?"

Donna looked at Jamie. "Now whatever makes you say that?"

"Trust me; being a university professor, I know these things. I pick up tidbits here and there about what students get up to."

Donna looked guilty.

"You did, didn't you?" the Doctor asked her, amused.

"Well, yeah, we might have," said Donna. "It was all in good fun, though! We had a great time, and we used to hide the bottled under my bed so school officials who occasionally came by wouldn't find them."

Jamie and the Doctor laughed at this.

"Donna Noble," said the Doctor with a grin. "Is there anything else we should know about you?"

Donna grinned back and said in a coy manner, "All in good time, my Time Lord and human companions."

"You sound like the Doctor," Jamie remarked.

"Well, I am a female version of him," Donna replied. "Partially, at any rate. Making that clone put a bit of himself inside me. Or something like that."

Jamie grinned evilly and glanced at the Doctor. He said, "So, Doctor, whenever you kiss Donna, you're basically kissing yourself? My my, I never thought you'd be so self-infatuated."

The Doctor glared at him and sternly replied, "She's mostly Donna; she only has a bit of myself in her. So when I kiss Donna, I'm kissing mostly her. And if you ever tell Jack what you just said to me, I'll plunk you down on a distant uninhabited planet and never speak to you again."

Jamie threw back his head and laughed loudly.

"What happens if _I_ tell Jack?" Donna asked innocently.

The Doctor glared at her. "Don't even think about it."

Donna grinned. "Oh all right, have it your way, space man," she said.

"Thank you," the Doctor replied.

After a little while more of ambling chatter, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor went to the TARDIS to fix something to eat. When they were done, the Doctor made the suggestion of going outside and mingling with the Grove's fellow patrons.

"Beats hanging around inside here all day," the Doctor finished.

"But I like it in here," said Donna.

"Aye," Jamie agreed. "So many places inside this ship to explore."

"He's probably explored them all already," Donna said to Jamie.

"So what if I have?" the Doctor replied. "You'll have plenty of time for exploring later. Come on; let's mingle!" The Doctor ended this by hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation, head tilted and a boyish grin on his face.

Donna took one look at him then shook her head, grinning to herself.

"Oh all right, come on," she said. From out of her pocket, she drew the perception filter and put it on. "Let's get moving!"

Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor stepped outside under the leafy canopy of trees. After closing the TARDIS doors and making sure they were locked, they set off toward the main center of the encampment. It was easy going at first, due to the flat ground and solitude due to the remote location they were at, but once they drew closer to the Grove's center, the land started rising and more and more people began appearing here and there. Donna was having to be rather careful, for she knew that if she were to bump into even one person, her cover would be blown. So it was in such a manner that the three reached the center of the encampment, and once they did, Donna made sure to stick as close as she could to the Doctor and Jamie without bumping into anyone else.

The first place Jamie and the Doctor went to was the restaurant café; the reason, they whispered to Donna in hushed tones so that no one would hear, was so that they could pick up their paychecks.

"Paychecks?" Donna whispered back, keeping her voice equally low. "You've only been working here for three days!"

"The manager likes to do things differently," Jamie said to her. "Likes paying us by the day."

"Does that include everyone or just you two?"

"Just us two," said the Doctor. "Weird, now I come to think of it."

"Maybe he can see into the future and knows you two will be leaving soon?"

"Now, Donna," the Doctor began. "No human can actually see into the future. They might think they can, but it's really just a slip in the space-time psychonetic neutron-manipulation barrier that gives certain people who are more sensitive to spacial movement flows the illusion of seeing into the future, when really all they're seeing is blips and pictures brought in from other universes."

Jamie looked at Donna. "Do you have any idea what he just said?"

"Not really, even though I'm a Time Lady."

The Doctor sighed. "It's all just an illusion brought on due to spacial disturbances."

"That makes so much more sense."

"Bite me, McCrimmon."

"Settle down, you two," said Donna. "Go grab your paychecks so we can mingle around."

After the paychecks had been picked up and the three had left the building, they ran into, what was to Jamie and the Doctor at any way, a familiar face.

"Jamie, Doctor!"

It was the driver who had taken the two mentioned to the main encampment a few days previously. The Doctor had hoped he would not see them, especially with Donna in tow, but that wish was not to be granted. As such the Doctor, and Jamie, eyed him warily.

"Oh, hello," said the Doctor. "What was your name?"

"Kevin," he replied. Kevin held out his hand in greeting, which Jamie shook. Then Kevin turned to the Doctor and asked, "So, your girlfriend still as bangable as ever?"

"Can I ask why you want to know?" the Doctor said to Kevin.

Kevin shrugged. "Curiosity," he replied. "Do you still have that picture of her? Can I see it?"

"Um…no," said the Doctor.

"Understandable," said Kevin. "That girlfriend of yours is pretty hot. Of course, she's probably so bangable that you want to keep her to yourself. Shame, really; I'd be willing to share her."

The Doctor place his face in the palm of his hands while Jamie roared with laughter. Kevin laughed along with Jamie then, bidding them good-bye, went on his way toward a group of official looking men.

As soon as Kevin was out of earshot, Donna said, "Did he just say what I think he said?"

"Unfortunately," said the Doctor.

"If he _ever_ says anything like that again," Donna said in a low, dangerous voice, "I'll make _sure_ he can never "bang" anyone ever again. You can be sure of that."

"In that case," said Jamie, "let's make sure you keep a safe distance from him, for his safety, hm?"

"Best idea I've heard all day," said the Doctor. "Come on, Donna, Jamie, let's mingle some more."

And mingle they did, all the way until that evening, when the ceremony was to begin.

The sun was setting, casting shadows over everything its rays touched. And it was time for the ceremony to begin. As everyone headed to the amphitheater-like area, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor made sure to stick close together; they did not want to get separated. The three of them went with the flow of the crowd to the seating area, where they thankfully found seating all together (thankfully, because seating was apparently hard to come by). What's more, they found with some luck, that they had found seats right at the edge of the seating area, at the very front by the lake. Little did they know that this would prove useful later on in the ceremony; at the moment, they were merely grateful to be getting a good view.


	8. The Ceremony

**Chapter 8: The Ceremony**

oOo

_The sun was setting, casting shadows over everything its rays touched. And it was time for the ceremony to begin. As everyone headed to the amphitheater-like area, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor made sure to stick close together; they did not want to get separated. The three of them went with the flow of the crowd to the seating area, where they thankfully found seating all together (thankfully, because seating was apparently hard to come by). What's more, they found with some luck, that they had found seats right at the edge of the seating area, at the very front by the lake. Little did they know that this would prove useful later on in the ceremony; at the moment, they were merely grateful to be getting a good view._

oOo

"Budge up there a bit."

"Doctor, if I 'budge up' any farther, I'll fall off the edge into the dirt." Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor were seated in such a way that Jamie was in the middle, with the Doctor on one side and Donna on the other. Donna was on the side closest to the edge, and indeed, if she were to scoot over, she would more than likely be sitting on the ground rather than in her current seat.

"But I'm all squished in," the Doctor complained. "I feel like a sardine in a can, packed in nice and tight. Or perhaps a Slitheen in a human suit. Or-" He wriggled and tried to get more comfortable. "Jamie, be a good man and budge up, will you?"

"Not a chance, Doctor," said Jamie. "Myself moving over will cause Donna to have to sit in the dirt, as she just said."

"But I'm _really_ uncomfortable!" the Doctor continued, this time in a slightly strained voice has he tried to make more room for himself.

"Doctor," Donna began, "will you shut up?"

"But _Donna_," the Doctor moaned.

"Either shut up or _you_ can sit in the dirt instead, time boy," she hissed so no one would hear her.

The Doctor fell silent. "Fine, have it your way," he muttered under his breath.

"Thank you," Donna replied.

The three remained silent until the entire seating area was full. The sounds of chattering voices echoed all over the area; it sounded as though they were in a rather roomy concert hall, but the Doctor knew that the particular acoustic effect was due to the trees on all sides, surrounding them, and making it seem as though there walls on all sides and a rather high ceiling with a large skylight.

As the sun fully set and the night sky became dotted all over the stars, adding a twinkling of light to the otherwise navy blue background, the lights on the stage were slowly; it seemed as though someone had the lights on a dimmer and was slowly turning the switch up, making the stage brighter and brighter until a sort-of soft glow lit the stage. And then, the ceremony began.

Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor did not pay much attention to what was said or done during the ceremony for some time. For the most part, they watched in bored silence, letting everything wash over them, and occasionally making a remark of some kind to one another. It wasn't until the aforementioned "sacrifice" was announced that they turned their focus from one another and paid real attention to what was going on.

A device made of wooden poles with leather hide stretched across to form a kind of stretcher was being carried across the stage. On it rested a human effigy, or at least, what appeared to be; from what they had found out earlier, the Doctor, Donna, and Jamie weren't quite sure. The human figure was in the shape of a female with blonde hair; she was tied up, both hands and legs together, so that she couldn't move. Her face was turned away from them; but that did not matter, for in the fraction of a section that she passed by in front of the Doctor, Donna, and Jamie on the opposite side of the lake, her head moved. So slightly was the motion that only a Time Lord could notice, and with a rush of fear and horror, the Doctor realized who it was.

"Jenny," he breathed, momentarily paralyzed, fear threatening to engulf him.

Donna and Jamie turned to him. "What?"

"It's Jenny," the Doctor repeated, and he turned to look at his companions, hopelessness etched into his eyes.

"_What?_"

"Doctor, are you sure?"

The Doctor nodded and gulped. "We've got to go and rescue her." His voice turned to one of disgust as he continued, "These humans are too transfixed by the "show," so I don't think they'll notice we've gone. But we've got to do it quickly, because I don't want to take the chance of being spotted. We'll go off into the trees a short distance, until we can't be seen, then decide quickly what to do."

Donna and Jamie nodded and did as the Doctor asked. Once they were far enough away, Donna asked the question she had been burning to since they had found out the girl was Jenny.

"Doctor, I thought Jenny was dead," she said. "I mean, we both saw her die on Messaline."

"She came from me, though," the Doctor said in a pained voice. "Which, though I didn't realize at the time, means that she must have the qualities of a Time Lord; namely, regeneration and two hearts."

"But why didn't she change her appearance like you did?"

The Doctor replied, "Must be because she's not fully a Time Lord; if she was, I wouldn't have recognized her."

"But _who's_ Jenny?" Jamie asked. "How did she become your daughter and how did you meet her?" Quickly, the Doctor explained the excursion on Messaline. Once he was finished, Jamie asked, "But, Doctor…remember what Donna overheard the man on the phone saying…"

"That her daddy will come running when he finds out his daughter is up there," Donna finished.

"I know," said the Doctor.

"What do you think will happen when we rescue Jenny?" Donna asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm probably meant to get caught doing this, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Donna, Jamie, I'm not asking you to follow me into this, but if you do, that's you're choice."

"Doctor, don't be stupid; of course we're coming," said Jamie.

"Yeah," said Donna. "Where you go, we go."

Despite the tenseness of the situation, the Doctor grinned. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "Now come on, lets get going."

As they started through the trees, looking for a way to cross the flowing river feeding into the lake, Jamie voiced something that suddenly occurred to him.

"Doctor," he said. "Who do you think the man on the phone, the Grove boss, is?"

The Doctor sighed. "I have a hunch; I just hope I'm wrong. Because if I'm right, it will be very _very_ bad for all of us."

They moved through the trees and came to the bank of the river. To their right, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor could barely see the lights of the ceremony, but what little light did reach them helped them in finding a boat, which they promptly climbed in and crossed to the other side. None of them mentioned the theory that the boat had been placed there on purpose, for the sole purpose of crossing the river in a rescue mission.

It did not take long to get to the opposite shore. Once they did, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor climbed up the short, but somewhat steep, embankment and began heading back to the stage, all trying to hurry as fast as they could while making the least amount of noise possible. They passed around the backside of the stage like ghosts, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be seen by anyone in the audience. Lucky for them, they were not.

"Doctor," Donna breathed, "when we get there, what exactly do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know Donna, I just don't know," sighed the Doctor. He started again. "Sorry. I'm just very very tense."

"I understand," Donna replied.

"Thanks," said the Doctor. "To answer your question: I'll improvise like I always do."

"And you do it marvelously," Donna said. The Doctor grinned in reply.

They drew closer to the side of the stage where they needed to be, so far unseen and undetected. Quietly, Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor approached the place where the current human "effigy" was situated. She, Jenny, was laying on her back, and her face was turned away from them, more than likely gazing at the ceremony's proceedings. It took all the Doctor's willpower not to charge onto the stage and get his daughter back right then and there, but somehow, he was able to restrain himself.

As Donna, Jamie, and the Doctor began to approach the place where Jenny was, with the Doctor in the lead (because, as he said, he was cleverer than his two companions and able to move quicker, and would therefore be the best candidate to get Jenny away from the stage), Jenny's head turned, mouth gagged so that she could not speak, as if searching for something. She was looking directly at the location where her rescuers hid, but she did not see them because they were out of sight. As Donna and the Doctor moved forward, closer to the stage, Jenny's eyes widened in recognition and surprise.

"Jenny," the Doctor breathed. He started forward, almost as a natural reflex; as he did so, Jenny shook her head frantically for him to stop. "What?" the Doctor muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he understood exactly 'what" when he heard loud rustling sounds behind him, and as he turned around, he heard the muffled sounds of Donna's and Jamie's voices as hands were clamped over their mouths to keep them from shouting. Two more large, burly men came out of the shadows and on grabbed the Doctor from behind, locking his hands and arms behind his back with one arm so that he could not move them even if he tried. With the other, the man placed his hand tightly over the Doctor's mouth so that he couldn't shout, let alone hardly breathe.

Jenny's eyes were wide with horror at the turn of events; they grew wider as one of the men came toward her and, so that none of the audience could see, pulled her toward him and yanked her off the platform where she was now on. He placed her over one shoulder and as a replacement effigy was put onto the platform, he jogged after the other two men who held Donna and Jamie. The man who held the Doctor came in last, almost as a taunting gesture, for from the back, the Doctor was able to watch Jenny and the pain that crossed his features seemed to amuse the man who forced him to move along.

The group moved along the dirt path, dotted here and there with weeds, deeper into the forest of redwood trees. They went along it for at least ten minutes before reaching their destination, a cabin made of stone with a wood-paneled roof and old glass windows. The man in front, who held Jamie, gave three smart knocks on the thick wood door.

"Come in," said a voice. "Or better yet, come in, drop off the prisoners, then get back to the ceremony. You deserve some relaxation after all your hard work." The voice sounded oddly familiar, but the Doctor couldn't quite place it.

The Doctor holding Jamie grunted and opened the door. He was only inside for a few seconds before coming outside, Jamie-free. The men holding Donna and Jenny, likewise, entered into the cabin and came out again, only without their prisoners. And then, it was the Doctor's turn. The man holding him virtually shoved him inside, so that the Doctor stumbled, and slammed the door behind him.

The Doctor straightened himself up and looked around the one-room cabin. On one side of the cabing, fire burned in the fireplace, and in front of that was a comfortable looking chair, facing the fire. On the other side, there were Donna and Jamie, sitting on the floor by the wall, looking rather disgruntled but otherwise unharmed. Beside them sat Jenny, unbound at last. The Doctor rushed over to her.

"Dad!"

"Jenny!" the Doctor exclaimed, hugging his daughter. He was more relieved than he remembered feeling for a very long time. He pulled away slightly and looked her in the eye. "Jenny, are you hurt?"

"No, but-"

"We're all fine," Donna said.

"Jenny, I'm going to get you out of here," the Doctor told her. "I'm going to get all three of you out of here, I promise."

"But dad, you don't understand," Jenny said, panicked. "This was a trap, it was all a trap. He captured me in hopes that you could come here to get me!"

"I know that," said the Doctor. "But I've come to rescue you!"

"No, you don't understand!" Jenny repeated. "He wanted you to come here so he could kill you!"

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Who said that?"

And from the chair facing the fire came the same familiar voice the Doctor had heard from outside. "I did."

The Doctor stood up and turned round. "Who are you?" He asked, curiously yet dangerously.

The man laughed. "Don't you know? We've spoken before, though I regret to say it's been a while."

"I demand to know who you are!" When the man failed to respond, the Doctor shouted, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

The man sighed. "Oh very well, if you insist."

There was a scraping of chair legs against the wood floor and creaking of springs as the man stood up. From behind, the Doctor could see that the man had blonde hair and appeared to be well dressed; at least, he was wearing a dark colored suit, and the collar of his cream colored shirt could just be seen over the suit jacket. Assuming that this man was the boss of the Grove, it was to be expected. But what shocked the Doctor more than anything else that had happened that night, what shocked him straight to the very core, was when the man turned round, illuminated by the flames of the fire, arms spread open in a mocking of a welcoming gesture.

The Doctor gasped. "You!"

"Me," the Master replied. And he grinned like a madman.

oOo

Three more chapters left (and a sequel)!!


	9. A Revelation of Purpose

**Chapter 9: A Revelation of Purpose**

oOo

"_I demand to know who you are!" When the man failed to respond, the Doctor shouted, "SHOW YOURSELF!"_

_The man sighed. "Oh very well, if you insist." _

_There was a scraping of chair legs against the wood floor and creaking of springs as the man stood up. From behind, the Doctor could see that the man had blonde hair and appeared to be well dressed; at least, he was wearing a dark colored suit, and the collar of his cream colored shirt could just be seen over the suit jacket. Assuming that this man was the boss of the Grove, it was to be expected. But what shocked the Doctor more than anything else that had happened that night, what shocked him straight to the very core, was when the man turned round, illuminated by the flames of the fire, arms spread open in a mocking of a welcoming gesture._

_The Doctor gasped. "You!" _

"_Me," the Master replied. And he grinned like a madman._

oOo

"But…that's impossible!" was all the Doctor could say without sputtering.

"As you can clearly see, however, it is not; given that I am standing right here, right now, in this Rassilon-forsaken cabin," said the Master, now smiling rather pleasantly.

"How?" The Doctor asked.

The Master shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but I have my theories; however, we can get to those in a minute."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you're probably curious how your precious daughter got to be here," answered the Master. "Aren't you? You've got to be at least a little curious. I know I would be."

"I'm not you," the Doctor replied.

"Fair point," said the Master. "But don't you ant to know any of the backstory of how Jenny came to here, how I came to be here, and how you and your two friends came to be here? Not even the least bit?"

"Just out with it," snarled the Doctor.

"Very well," said the Master, sighing. "First off, I suppose you already know that the only reason I had Jenny out there tonight on stage was because I knew you, Doctor, would come running just like I wanted you to. I knew precious daddy would do anything to rescue his darling daughter. Ooh, an analogy."

"Doctor, we're lost," said Jamie. "What exactly is going on here? And who exactly is this charming bloke?" he added sarcastically.

The Doctor quickly explained, with a comment here and there by the Master, all about who the Master was and how the two knew each other. Once finished, Donna spoke up and asked, "Ok, but how did you get Jenny in the first place? The last place the Doctor and I saw her was on Messaline."

"Ah, well, now _that_ is an interesting story indeed," said the Master gloatingly. Then, catching sight of the Doctor, he added, "No need to pout. I'm getting to it."

"Then hurry up," the Doctor said forcefully.

The Master rolled his eyes. "Fine, have it your way, old man. Oh hey, remember that time I captured you and suspended your capacity to regenerate, and then showed everyone what you would look like?"

"Vividly," said the Doctor.

"Can get just get on with this?" said Donna impatiently.

"Quite right," said the Master to Donna, while the Doctor gave her a warning glance. "So, to business. I captured your precious daughter, Doctor, when she was on one of the moons of Saturn; little to earthlings know, those moons are actually inhabited. So I saw Jenny, here, trying to fight off a monster. She wasn't doing to well, so I helped destroy it. In the end, I pretended to be her friend and once she told me you were her father, Doctor, I knew it was an opportunity too good to pass up. So I captured her in hopes that you would come to get her; and, here you are! Nice family reunion, isn't it?"

"Oh shut up," Donna snarled. "I'd like nothing more than to punch you in the gut right now."

"Donna," said the Doctor warningly.

"Rest assured, if you were to "punch me in the gut," I just might have to use my laser screwdriver on you. And I'm sure you already know what _that_ can do." Donna fell silent, so the Master continued, "I'm sure you're wondering, Doctor, why I placed Jenny on the stage in such a way tonight."

"Because you wanted me," the Doctor said in nearly a whisper.

"Correct," the Master replied. "Now, for the ceremony, we here at the Bohemian Grove usually just use a very human-like effigy, but because I knew you were here tonight, I decided to replace it with Jenny so that you would come running. Of course, after Jenny was gone from the pyre, I had her replaced with an effigy, but that's beside the point at the moment. I'm also sure you've heard of some rather interesting tales regarding missing waiters, am I right?"

When the Doctor said nothing, Jamie responded, "We heard something about it, from our boss at the café. But how did _you _know we knew about it?"

"All in good time," said the Master. He then continued from where he had left off, "It was really only one waiter. I had him "taken care of," so the saying goes, because he found out too much about what was going on here. As you know, during the ceremony, a human effigy is burned. Only in this case, it was the waiter."

Donna, Jamie, the Doctor, and Jenny were horrified. "That's just…" Donna began.

"Disturbing? Horrible?" The Master assisted.

"It's so _you,_" said the Doctor, glaring at his nemesis. "Although why you didn't just use your tissue compression device…"

The Master waved his hand dismissively. "I've used that so many times in the past, it was losing its thrill. I wanted something different."

"And you got it," said the Doctor, disgusted. "Innocent lives, taken away. And for what? Just a few seconds of enjoyment? You're nothing but a crazed lunatic."

"And a killer, though I generally don't like to waste talent if I can find it," said the Master. "But you should have seen this waiter, Doctor; couldn't tell left from right."

"That doesn't make it right."

"Oh but it does, Doctor," said the Master, grinning eerily. "Considering it's me, it's perfectly right. But I'm getting off track. I want to tell you how I came to be here, although I won't do it in chronological order. Not as much fun that way."

"You're right disgusting, you are," said Jamie in his Scottish brogue.

"Coming from a Scotsman, I'll take that as a compliment."

"OI!! Now wait just one minute, you swine-!"

"Jamie," the Doctor warned. "The Master is liable to injure all of us quite badly if you continue."

"Right you are, Doctor," said the Master.

"One thing I want to know," Donna interrupted. "How did you keep everyone from discovering who you really are? How did you do all of…" she waved her hand in the direction of the main area of the encampment, "…this?"

As if he were a child eagerly showing off his favorite Christmas present, the Master began, "As you know, influential people and political figures from all over the world come here year. So I put a hypnotic spell on everyone here at the Grove so I could control them and, through them, take over the world via the economy, laws, and other political moves and mishaps. Since I failed with the Toclophane, I figured I'd try the more subtle route, you understand, Doctor."

"So that's why the world is in tatters," Donna muttered under her breath.

"Correct. And this time, Doctor," the Master replied, spitting out his enemy's name, "I will not let you stop me like you did last time."

"True, it will be more of a challenge," said the Doctor. "No ArchAngel network this time. But I have other ways of thwarting those who seek to destroy Earth."

"I doubt it," the Master snorted.

"Och aye, want to bet, you bloody leech-!"

Much to everyone's surprise, the Master began laughing. "That's one thing I've always liked about Scotsmen… they have spirit!" The Master's tone then grew more serious and threatening, yet he retained the pleasant smile. "Let me tell you a story about my time ring, here," and he lifted his hand to show the ring on his ring finger. "Did you know I was brought back to life with this ring?"

"What?!" exclaimed the Doctor in disbelief. "That's impossible!"

"_Supposed_ to be impossible," said the Master, "though it isn't. But I was brought back to life with this time ring by a scientist who stumbled upon it, although I'm not going to give out any names. I'm sure, Doctor, that Jamie told you how he was brought back to life as well with a ring that had strange symbols on it?"

The Doctor stared at his enemy for a second then, eyes widening in realization, said, "No! You didn't!"

"I did," the Master confirmed, gloating. "I brought Mr. McCrimmon, here, back to life with the same ring that had been used to bring me back; there was only just enough Time Lord energy to do so. As you know, Doctor, I wanted to get back at you for thwarting me the last time. So I brought Jamie to life, de-aged him a few decades, and I put a mind-control hypnotic spell over him. It was just subtle enough so that you would be unable to detect it, Doctor. This hypnotic spell allowed me to know where Jamie was and if he was with you."

Everyone turned to look at Jamie, who was in shock.

"You mean…you've been in my head all this time? I was brought back just so I could help you capture the Doctor?"

"Correct," said the Master. "And, just so you know, it was I who arranged everything, including you meeting the Doctor on the spaceship. I knew in order to destroy the Doctor, I had to arrange a meeting between the two of you."

"When I get my hands on you…" Jamie growled.

"You'll what?" The Master taunted. "Growl at me?" He laughed.

"So are you the one who provided Cadger and Davis with the space ship?" the Doctor asked, fire in his eyes.

The Master nodded. "I also gave them instruction on what to do, because I know you Doctor. I know you can't resist getting to the bottom of a mystery. So I knew you would immediately want to investigate, and that you'd find out what was going on, thus leading to your capture and meeting with your old traveling companion."

oOo

Two more chapters left (with a sequel to follow)!!


	10. In Bondage

**Chapter 10: In Bondage**

oOo

"_So are you the one who provided Cadger and Davis with the space ship?" the Doctor asked, fire in his eyes._

_The Master nodded. "I also gave them instruction on what to do, because I know you Doctor. I know you can't resist getting to the bottom of a mystery. So I knew you would immediately want to investigate, and that you'd find out what was going on, thus leading to your capture and meeting with your old traveling companion."_

oOo

"I'm the one who found that gun with the four components and gave it to those fools, Cadger and Davis, to kill you with," the Master continued. "Unfortunately, they did not succeed."

"But how did you get it?" the Doctor asked. "It was locked in a secure location onboard the Valiant! I saw to it myself, after I got Martha and her family back home!"

"Oh, it was locked up rather securely," the Master said, as though it were obvious to everyone in the room.

"Then how did you get it, you filthy lobster?" Jamie snarled.

"_Jamie!_"

"It's all right Doctor," said the Master. "Having messed with his mind, I can understand the hostility. Though you might want to keep better reign on your temper, Mr. McCrimmon, otherwise you'll get yourself into trouble." As if to demonstrate this, the Master walked up to Jamie and punched him, hard, in the stomach.

The Doctor started toward his nemesis, fire in his eyes, but was stopped from any action by Jamie's wheezing, "No, Doctor!"

"Quite right," said the Master, looking at Jamie disdainfully. "Although it amuses me to hear a term from the American Revolution, given that you're Scottish."

"I want to murder him myself," Jamie muttered; thankfully, the Master did not hear him. The Doctor did, however, and looked at Jamie with an unreadable look in his eyes.

As if the current incident had not taken place, the Master asked the Doctor, "Ask me how I got on board the Valiant?"

"How did you get on board the Valiant?" the Doctor asked.

"Simple," said the Master. "I snuck on board. I stowed away in a helicopter. As soon as I got to the Valiant, I searched and searched for that gun, but it took me a few days to find it. I used my laser screwdriver, which I found in my old office onboard, to break the gun out of it's container. I pocketed it and stowed away on a helicopter bound for London."

"Let me guess," said Donna. "You searched high and low and, when all hope seemed lost, you miraculously found the last component. Is that right?"

"Donna…" the Doctor said, warning her.

"Yes, yes, I know he's a crazed megalomaniac; I'm not stupid," said Donna.

"You're correct on both accounts," said the Master. "I did miraculously find the last component, and no, you are not stupid."

"Thank you," said Donna acidly.

"I must express my disappointment that you survived being shot with the gun, Doctor," the Master said. "But luckily I had a plan B, which in this case, was Mr. McCrimmon, here. And so far, it's worked out beautifully, don't you think?"

"I beg to differ," said Jenny.

"Children should be seen and not heard," the Master trilled at her. "Doctor, you must teach your daughter manners."

"Her manners are perfectly fine," said the Doctor. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell my daughter what to do."

"Have it your way, Doctor," said the Master. "But would you allow me to express my surprised?"

"At what?"

"At Donna, here, becoming one of us: a Time Lord," said the Master, and it was clear that he was genuinely surprised. "I didn't think that would be possible, even for a human with a Time Lord mind. And yes, Doctor, I know all about that because, like I said, I saw everything you told Jamie via his mind."

"Well, I'm a Time Lord, or Lady, or whatever you want to call it," said Donna. "Which means that you and the Doctor aren't the last ones anymore."

"Quite right," said the Master. "And allow me to express my surprise that you two…_love_…each other. I didn't think it could happen after his other lover left, but that goes to show that we're all human…in a sense."

"What's it to you?" Donna asked.

"Nothing, really," the Master shrugged. "I just thought you love Lee, but I guess that's not true."

Donna glared at him, eyes narrowed. "How do you know about Lee?"

"I ran into him when I was searching for the Doctor; this was before I befriended Jenny," the Master said. "He found out that I was up to no good, as you people call it, and tried to stop me. He mentioned you, Donna, you know."

"Yeah?" Donna said fiercely.

"Yes," confirmed the Master. "He mentioned how there was a woman he had loved on a library planet, and he said your name. Of course, I didn't exactly know who you where until I saw you in Jamie's mind not too long ago."

The Doctor glanced in Donna's direction, heart racing. He knew how much Donna had cared for Lee, and now…not knowing his fate… "What did you do to him?" he asked.

"Well, when you Lee tried to stop me, he snuck up on me when my back was turned. So I used my laser screwdriver and killed him stone dead." The Master chuckled.

Donna, Jamie, Jenny, and the Doctor were all outraged.

"You…you're a cold-blooded, spineless, back-stabbing murderer!!" Donna nearly shouted at him. But the Master kept his cool.

"Spineless?" He said, in mock puzzlement. "He's the one who tried to attack me. I was only acting in self-defence."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you killed someone," said the Doctor. "You killed a human being! A human who had so much life in him, so much to do and to live for! Life is the most precious gift humans have, and you stole it away in an act of murder!"

The Master rolled his eyes, causing Donna to nearly rush forward and attack him; she was only stopped by the Doctor's arms, restraining her body from moving. The Master smirked.

"So you still had feelings for him, did you?"

"Shut up, you-!"

"Donna," said the Doctor, warning in his voice. "I know you're upset about Lee, but if you attack the Master, then he'll kill you, too."

"I don't care," Donna sputtered. "It'll be worth it!"

"I care," said the Doctor in her ear. "And it won't be worth it in the long run, because I care about you. I don't want you getting yourself hurt; please, Donna."

Donna took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Feel better?" the Master asked contemptuously.

"Bite me, old man," Donna spat at him.

"Respect your elders," the Master replied. "Better yet, I think I'll put everyone here in bondages. I don't want to take the chance that one of you will attack me. I'm sure you all will miss the one I kill because they were stupid enough to try." He looked straight at Donna as he called out to his men waiting outside. They came inside the cabin and, at the Master's instruction, bound the hands and feet of Donna, Jamie, Jenny, and the Doctor. After they were finished, the men left to stand guard once more, leaving those bound and the Master alone once more.

As soon as the men were gone, the Master turned to Donna, Jamie, Jenny, and the Doctor with a calculated expression.

"So. What am I going to do with you four?"

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"Meaning, what I am going to do with all of you?" the Master repeated. "I can't very well let you leave and spread the word about what I'm doing here. You would ruin everything I've worked for. And I can't very well have that; after all, Doctor, you did destroy Gallifrey. It seems only fitting I return the favor. And possibly turn Earth into a new Gallifrey, but we both know it won't be as good as the original."

"So all of this has been in revenge," said the Doctor. It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.

"Well, quite obviously," said the Master. "Didn't I already mention that?" He shrugged. "Well, whether I did or didn't doesn't matter. I've got you here now, and _that_ is all that matters."

"So what are you going to do with us? Or are you going to stand there all night lecturing us like a banshee?"

"Donna!"

But, to the Doctor's surprise, the Master burst out laughing. "Oh, I like this one," he said, between laughs. "I can see your attraction to her, Doctor."

"More to the point," said the Doctor angrily.

"Of course, of course," said the Master. He settled down. "As I said, I can't have you spouting about my work here. Wouldn't be good publicity for the lovely campers. So I guess I'll have to dispose of you. For convenience's sake. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," said the Doctor. "But that doesn't mean you have to. You can still turn away from all of this!"

"Oh, but that's the thing; I could, but I like the way I am now so well. Why should I change?" said the Master, grinning. "But more to the point, like you said. I am going to dispose of you. _All_ of you. But first I'm going to have a little fun."

"_Fun?_"

"Yes, Jamie, fun."

"What kind of 'fun'?" Jenny asked.

For answer, the Master adjusted something on his laser screwdriver. He then pointed it at Donna and flicked it on. A stream of reddish orange light shot out of it and hit her in the shoulder; Donna let out of scream of pain. She didn't stop screaming until the Master flicked the screwdriver off a few seconds later, by which time the Doctor was fuming with anger and fury. Jenny looked frightened, while Jamie looked murderous.

"Torture me if you want," the Doctor said furiously. It was as though he was back on the Crucible, watching the TARDIS in the core, thinking it was about to be destroyed with Donna still inside. "Go on, do it, I don't care! Just don't hurt her or anyone else!"

"You know, I think I'll take you up on that," said the Master. And he pointed the screwdriver at him and flicked it on, leaving it on for a full five seconds, seconds penetrated by screams, before turning it off. "That better?"

The Doctor said nothing; his only response was to glare at his nemesis.

"Now that I'm done with that, I think I'll move onto someone else," said the Master. "After all, the best way to torture the Doctor is not to harm him, it is to torture those he loves and force him to watch."

"_No! _JUST STOP! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!"

"I have, Doctor," the Master replied. "I've come to the conclusion that everything I do os fine. Of course, there are those who disagree with me. But they don't matter, do they?" He threw a long hard look in the direction of his captives. "I think I'll go for you next." And he pointed his laser screwdriver at Jenny and flicked it on.

Jenny's screams mingled with the furious yells of the Doctor, as well as the shouts of horror from Donna and Jamie. But the screams drew on for what seemed like forever, though what was really only half a minute, but it was enough to do the job. It was enough to rile the Doctor to the point of such fury as to render him completely capable of doing virtually anything. And it was this that caused the Doctor to break free of his bonds with such strength that he would not normally have, but did not because of all the adrenaline rushing through his veins. The Doctor would not normally resort to such violence, but given that he had already watched Jenny die once, he was not about to lose his daughter again. He let his fury guide him.

Donna and Jamie watched as the Doctor broke free and rushed at the Master. As the Doctor collided with him, the screwdriver's aim went awry, hitting a wall and causing a chunk to break free and hit the ground. The two Time Lords fought, watched helplessly by Donna, Jamie, and Jenny, who were both horrified at the way events turned out and astounded at the Doctor's out-of-character reaction. It was understandable that he'd be extremely angry at the way Jenny was treated, but to resort to something like a physical fight was almost unheard of. But the Doctor was perhaps still overcome with some amount of shock at the fact his daughter was alive, and the fact that she had been tortured perhaps had pushed him over the edge.

The Master, too, was extremely surprised that his enemy had reacted in such a way; he had expected the Doctor to, perhaps, shout about torturing him instead; but when the Doctor had broken free and rushed at him, the Master was caught so off-guard that he did not prepare himself for any kind of fight beforehand. So it was with regret that the Master watched his laser screwdriver fall from his hands as he and the Doctor struggled with each other; pity, for the screwdriver would have been a great tool in a fight. But no matter now; he, the Master, must do what he could to defend himself against the Doctor, even though he was somewhat frightened, for he knew that the Doctor had not been given the nickname 'Oncoming Storm' for nothing.

In the end, the Doctor slowly began to triumph, so in a moment when the Master had been thrown aside in the Doctor's rage, he picked up his laser screwdriver in the flash of an eye, pointed it him, and flicked it on. The beam of red light shot out and hit his abdomen; the Doctor doubled over in pain. There were cries and shouts from Donna, Jamie, and Jenny. The Master, seeing his one and only opportunity, dashed to a back door that had been hidden from view, opened it, and disappeared into the night.

oOoOoOoOo

One more chapter (and after that, a sequel)!!!


	11. Freeing

I'm REALLY sorry for taking so long to update this fic! I can't believe it was 4 weeks, but I've been really busy with the semester starting and homework. I promise to update quicker in the future; I hope you won't hold the delay against me!

oOoOoOo

**Chapter 11: Freeing**

oOo

_In the end, the Doctor slowly began to triumph, so in a moment when the Master had been thrown aside in the Doctor's rage, he picked up his laser screwdriver in the flash of an eye, pointed it him, and flicked it on. The beam of red light shot out and hit his abdomen; the Doctor doubled over in pain. There were cries and shouts from Donna, Jamie, and Jenny. The Master, seeing his one and only opportunity, dashed to a back door that had been hidden from view, opened it, and disappeared into the night._

oOo

"Where'd he go?"

"Doctor, go after him!"

"Don't let him get away!"

The cacophony of voices started up the very second the Master left the cabin; the Doctor tried to get them to lower their voices, and succeeded, but only after a few moments. As soon as Donna, Jamie, and Jenny had quited, the Doctor went over to them and began untying their bindings.

"Doctor, are you okay?" Donna asked.

"Dad?"

The Doctor nodded; there was some aching where the laser had shot him, but with his superior Time Lord intellect, he knew he would be fine. "Yeah, I'm okay," he replied. He untied the last of the bindings, then walked over to Jenny and swept her up into a bear hug. "I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Neither did I," Jenny said, hugging the Doctor just a fiercely.

"When I saw you lying there, I just thought…" he trailed off, voice nearly breaking.

"But I didn't, and that's the important thing, isn't it?"

"So very true!" said the Doctor. "I'm just glad I've finally got you back." He grinned, and Jenny, breaking apart from the hug, looked up into his eyes and grinned back just as happily.

"Yeah, enough with the family reunion," said Donna. "I mean, I know you two are glad to have each other again, but don't we have other things to deal with right now?"

"Quite right!" said the Doctor. He thought for a moment.

"Why do you suppose the Master's goons didn't come in and help their boss?" Donna asked.

"Hm?" said the Doctor. "Oh, well, I suppose it's because they figured the cries and shouts inside would be happening because they thought we were being tortured. And I also suppose that they're not here now, trying to grab at us again, because they saw the Master run out of here."

"So they followed him, not being very bright, wanting to know what's wrong?" Jenny asked.

"Correctamundo, daughter of mine," said the Doctor cheerily. "I promised myself I'd stop using that word. Correctamundo, I mean. Not daughter."

"Right," said Jenny suspiciously. She then grinned to show that she was kidding; the Doctor smiled back.

"Doctor, shouldn't we be going after the Master?" Jamie said suddenly.

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. "Not much use in that. Knowing him, he had some way to escape the Grove if things went wrong; he'd be far away by now."

"Can we check, to be sure?" Donna asked. "I mean, for all we know, he could be hiding behind a tree, waiting to jump out from behind one to recapture us."

Shaking he head, the Doctor replied, "He won't be." But Donna continued to stare at him, so he sighed and added, "Oh very well, if it'll satisfy you."

"Thank you, it will."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and grinned only slightly. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out from one of his pockets and was on the point of flicking it on, but stopped.

"Doctor?" said Donna. "What's wrong?"

"I'm wondering why you didn't think to do this. You have your sonic lipstick, you know."

"No need to get snarky on me, space man," said Donna, eyes narrowing. "I've been a Time Lady for two months, you've been a Time Lord for over nine hundred years. I haven't had as much time to gain all the common sense and wisdom of a great and mighty lord of time such as yourself; if I did have as much common sense and wisdom as you, I would have used my sonic lipstick. And don't say anything about me being a temp, either; yes, I was the best temp in Chiswick, but I wasn't, and I'm still not, you."

The Doctor stared at her warily. "You finished?"

"Yes," said Donna. She flipped her hair to one side and crossed her arms.

Still looking at Donna, the Doctor said, "Right. Well, then. I'll just get on with this."

"Oh, I wasn't being entirely serious, time boy," said Donna. "So relax and get on with it."

"I was." And the Doctor flicked his sonic screwdriver on; it lit up and made the same buzzing sound as usual, but other than that, nothing happened. He frowned.

"What does that mean?" Jamie asked

"It means that the Master is far, far away someplace," the Doctor replied. "Oh, he's smart, all right. Knew that he had to get away from me fast enough to a place far enough so I won't be able to get at him."

"You can just use the TARDIS," Jenny suggested.

Regretfully, the Doctor shook his head. "I can't. The Master has done something with his genetic tracing; I don't know what, but whatever he did to it makes him inaccessible."

"So for all we know, he could be standing right next to us and we wouldn't know it."

"Not necessarily, Donna," the Doctor replied. "Remember, I just said that, according to my old girl here," he patted the screwdriver, "that the Master is someplace far away and untraceable. I'm guessing he ran because he knew I would imprison him on the TARDIS."

"Wonderful," said Jamie.

"Isn't it?" Donna replied sarcastically.

"Now, you two, behave," said the Doctor warningly. To himself, almost, he said, "Why? Why does he keep running, when he knows I'll eventually catch up to him? Of course, since I'm very clever, I should be able to answer that myself."

"So what's the answer, then?" Donna asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied, running his fingers through his hair. "If I could only find out where he is, I'd be able to get to him; since I don't know where he is, I can't."

"But you'll search for him, won't you?" Jenny asked, staring at the Doctor, eyes wide.

"Oh yes," said the Doctor. "But that will have to wait for the time being. Right now, everyone is still under the Master's control I need to break the hypnosis."

As much as he hated doing it, the Doctor put the Master aside in his mind for the time being, and walked over to the cabin's door. He pulled it open and was as surprised as everyone else in the cabin at the tiniest morning; the sun had only peeked over the tree-covered hills a fraction of a centimeter, but the effect this had was to brighten the sky ever so slightly, so that instead of a deep navy blue of night, the starry sky was now only a navy blue color, touched ever so slightly by a golden glow. The light peered through the trees surrounding the cabin and lit up the ground so that it was now only slightly visible in the trees' shadows. As the Doctor stepped over the threshold and outside, his eyes were lifted toward the sky, a thoughtful expression in their gaze.

"We must have been in there longer than I thought," the Doctor said as Donna, Jenny, and Jamie filed out of the cabin behind him.

"Where are the guards?" Jenny asked, looking around.

Suddenly, everyone noticed what Jenny had: that the guards, who had been there when the group had entered the cabin, were now gone; only footprints in the dirt remained.

"I suppose they must have run off when they saw the Master escaping," said Donna. She looked at the Doctor for confirmation.

"I think you're right," the Doctor agreed. "They must have thought he had finished with us. Then, not seeing much point in standing around for nothing, they went away." He took a deep breath. "Well, it's lucky for us; at least we don't have to deal with them."

"True, that," quipped Jamie.

Donna, Jamie, Jenny, and the Doctor all walked away from the cabin. As they made their way through the forested area, the Doctor told everyone his plan for curing the "campers," for want of a better word, of their hypnosis; or what the Doctor called, "breaking the spell." His plan, as he said it, was to go to the TARDIS and, from a room containing scraps and heaps of junk from centuries gone by, compose a large satellite-like device to which he could attach his sonic screwdriver and Donna's sonic lipstick. The reason for two sonic device, the Doctor explained to the group, was for maximum impact, but not only for the "campers." For all he knew, there could be people all over Sonoma County who the Master had bent to his will.

The double-impact of the sonic devices would spread out over the satellite-device, and from there, begin transmitting like radio or television waves. Or, as the Doctor preferred, like the telephone waves that had helped him find the earth in the Medusa Cascade, where Davros and the Daleks had hidden it. As they walked toward the TARDIS, they passed by some of the outlying cabins in the Grove. Snoring could be heard from one or two of them, so Donna, the Doctor, Jenny, and Jamie took care to tread quietly as they went by, so as to not wake anyone up.

_Crack._

Everyone whipped around as the sound of a twig snapping rent the air.

"Sorry," Donna said sheepishly.

"It's ok," said the Doctor. "Just…try to be more careful where you walk."

"I will."

They reached the TARDIS without further incident, and as soon as they were inside, the Doctor set about making the satellite device. It did not take as long as he expected; once he was finished, he had Donna and Jamie help him to drag it outside, where he set it up on a stand, with the dish of the satellite pointing toward the sky.

"How are you going to attached the lipstick and screwdriver to the satellite? Are you just going to point them at it?" Donna asked.

"No," the Doctor replied. "You remember what happened last time I pointed both of them at something. Well, they were pointed at each other, but it's the same idea." Catching the look on Donna's and Jenny's faces he added, "It is."

"Just do whatever you've got to do, space man."

The Doctor grinned broadly at her, head tilted, and winked. "Sonic device," he said, holding out his hand. Donna obliged, and as soon as the Doctor had it in his grasp, he went around the satellite dish to a place that had room enough, then got down on all fours. Both sonic devices were clasped within his teeth, and as the Doctor crawled underneath the dish toward the middle, where there was a slight hole, just big enough for the tips of the sonic screwdriver and lipstick. One he reached the destination, the Doctor laid down on his back and scooted five inches more so that he was in place, and placed the sonic devices up to the hole; the tips of them fit perfectly.

"You okay down there, Doctor?" Donna said, voiced raised so the Doctor could hear her.

"Yep," the Doctor replied. And then he turned the sonic devices on.

For a fraction of a second, nothing happened. Then there was a bang, a brilliant flash, and those not under the satellite could see what was happening: little rings of light, each the size of the satellite dish, were coming from it, each growing larger and larger the farther they went. About one or two hundred feet in the air, the rings looked as though they exploded, only no sound came forth, and light was shot in every direction imaginable. As the rings of light dissipated in the air, spreading everywhere, Jamie felt something lift from his mind and his head, somehow, became lighter in weight than before.

"Oi!"

"What is it?" Jenny asked.

"The Master just lost control of my mind," said Jamie.

"And that's a bad thing?" Donna asked.

"Not bad," said Jamie. "Just startled me a wee bit."

Donna, Jenny, and Jamie watched as rings of light left the satellite, to dissipate in the air not long after. After things began to die down and the light rings stopped, sounds in the distance of the campers could be heard.

"D'you think we woke them up?" Jamie asked guiltily.

"Sounds like it," Donna replied. "What did it feel like when the Master wasn't controlling you anymore?"

"A wee bit like a weight was lifted from me," Jamie admitted. "Was rather strong, too; startled me, like I said."

"Then it's probably why everyone else here was woken up from their sleep," said Jenny.

"Yeah," said Donna. There was a pause.

"Why isn't Dad coming back to us?" Jenny asked suddenly.

"Good question," Donna replied. She shouted, "OI, SPACE MAN! Stop daydreaming and get out from under there!!"

No reply.

Jamie bent down to get a look at the underside of the satellite dish. In the middle, he saw the Doctor, laying on his back, arms spread out at his sides; Jamie could see the sonic screwdriver and lipstick on the ground beside the Doctor, looking as though they had fallen, or been dropped.

"Doctor!" Jamie said to him. "Stop playin' around, will ya?" No response.

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked. She and Donna had knelt down as well. When she saw the Doctor, her breath caught. "Dad!"

"Don't worry, he's not dead," said Jamie, forestalling any panic. "He's alive, breathing; I can see his chest moving up and down."

"You've got good eyesight, mate," Donna said.

"He's probably just unconscious; I'm betting it happened because of the sonic devices," said Jamie, ignoring Donna. He got on hands and knees and began crawling underneath the satellite.

"What are you doing?" Donna asked.

"Someone's got to get him out from under this," came the reply.

Jamie reached the Doctor and, after placing the sonic devices in his pocket, dragged him out from under the dish without much difficulty. As soon as Jamie had the Doctor free, Donna bent down and put her ear to the Doctor's chest.

"One of his hearts has stopped," she said. "Hold on."

Donna gave him CPR, and after two tries, successfully managed to revive the Doctor. His eyes fluttered open, and the first thing out of his mouth was: "What are you all standing around me for?" When the Doctor heard the collective sigh of relief, he asked as his gaze swept his companions, "What was that for?" He pushed himself up into something of a sitting position, with his arms supporting him and crossed his legs; he looked as though he was relaxing in a lounge chair.

"You were unconscious," said Donna. "You big dumbo."

"Sorry," said the Doctor apologetically.

"What happened under there?" Jenny asked.

"Ah, well now, that's an interesting story," said the Doctor. He hopped up onto his feet and, as he talked, began disassembling the satellite dish. "When I turned the sonic screwdriver and lipstick on, there was a backlash of sonic waves; because the devices were so close together, but not pointed at each other. So, when I turned them both on, the sonic waves reverberated all around the dish and into the air. While the waves spread and snapped everyone out of their hypnoses, there was the backlash that hit me and knocked me unconscious."

By now, the Doctor had finished putting everything inside the TARDIS. Once finished, he, Donna, Jenny, and Jamie crossed over the threshold into the console room; Jenny was excited to be inside, and was very curious as to how everything worked. The Doctor promised to show her, but at a time when they didn't have anything going on, any enemies to defeat, and certain activities like that. So the Doctor, with Donna's help, piloted the TARDIS to the middle of the camp; they decided to take it forward in time, and when they landed, it was to find the sun at a point in the sky, suggesting that it was only nine in the morning.

"Yup, nine in the morning," Jamie confirmed, looking at his watch.

"Right," said the Doctor, giving Jamie a strange look; no one had spoken before him regarding the time of day.

"Anyway…"

"Yes, anyway," said the Doctor quickly. He placed his hands inside his pockets and turned to face the group. "What I would suggest doing is mingling for a while among these oh so lovely campers. And what I mean by that is, make absolutely sure they are free of the Master's control. I don't want any dawdling; Rassilon knows I've had enough of that from previous companions. Anyway, once you're done, come straight back to the TARDIS, you hear?"

"Yes, Doctor," said Donna and Jamie.

"Jenny?" The Doctor looked at her sternly.

"I'm not going to run off," she complained, then added, "Yes, Dad."

"Good. Now, get to it!"

They obliged; however, they did not need to examine every single person, for it was soon clear that everyone was indeed free from the hypnosis. So, in light of that, Donna, Jenny, and Jamie went back inside the TARDIS; the Doctor followed behind, characteristically trying to avoid people's praise. As soon as he made sure sure everyone was in tip top shape, walked up to the console and took the TARDIS into the vortex.

oOoOoOoOoOo

I'll be posting the first chapter of the sequel, Imbalance in Time, sometime this weekend, so be sure to check back!

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